We're all going on a Summer Holiday
by Useful Oxymoron
Summary: NagisaxShizuma, KanamexMomomi, ChikaruxShion Sequel to Endless Love. When the girls head off for a summer holiday at a peaceful Ryokan, things don't turn out to be as peaceful as they had expected. Comedy and romantic fluff.
1. Chapter 1 : SUV Blues

Hello everyone,

As promised here is the sequel to Endless Love. I will be dividing my time between this story and the continuation of Everybody Loves Yaya. This will be a different beast than Endless Love, focusing more on comedy and fluff than drama. The vocal point of the story are still Nagisa and Shizuma, though there's plenty of room for the other protagonists as well. Though they won't be appearing in this first part, I liked the pairing of Shion and Chikaru so much they'll be making an appearance in this story very shortly.

In any case, I hope you'll enjoy the story.

EDIT: Forgot to mention I don't actually own Strawberry Panic, but then again that's pretty much a given, sadly.

* * *

**We're all going on a... Summer Holiday**

**Chapter 1 : SUV Blues**

_"Mwuahahaha, you may cease your struggling, fraulein," the thick accented nazi colonel leered over Nagisa as he was tying her to the rail-road tracks._

_A fearful Nagisa tried her best to escape, but the leather-clad brute was simply too strong for her. And some tactically placed kicks had only managed to enrage him further._

_"Let me go, you nazi-creep!" Nagisa screamed. "I swear, you'll pay for this."_

_"Mwuahahaha," the nazi colonel cackled evilly again. "Fraulein, you will die today. Die for the glory of the third Reich. And look, the 11.20 train to Berlin, on time as always."_

_Nagisa gulped as she saw the smoke from the locomotive in the distance. If she didn't want to meet a rather gooey end, she had to act quickly. Or hope for the best._

_And hope arrived soon enough. From the forest emerged a stunning woman on a brown horse. She made the horse up to the colonel and jumped off, rolling over the ground as she landed. With a single move, she jumped to her feet, wiped off her leather jacket and adjusted her beloved brown hat._

_The stunned nazi colonel sputtered as she woman slowly approached him. "A-astraea Hanazono!"_

_"Asty!" Nagisa smiled through her tears as the woman she loved had shown up just in time._

_"Nazis," Asty replied sharply. "I hate nazis."_

_The nazi quickly drew his gun, but Asty was quicker. Her whip cracked through the air, grabbing hold of the gun and ripping it from his hands. But the nazi was not defeated yet. He held out his hand like a vicious claw and approached Asty. "Kali-ma! KALI-MA!" he droned._

_"Asty!" Nagisa shouted in terror. "Cover your heart! Cover your heart!"_

_Asty caught the colonel's hand before his nails could dig into her flesh. She strained against the colonel's strength, but looked him right into the eye. "I might get killed looking for fortune and glory one day," she gritted her teeth. "BUT NOT TODAY!"_

_She savagely kicked the colonel backwards and at the same time, let her whip fly. The whip rolled around Nagisa's leg, and just as Asty pulled Nagisa to safety, the colonel landed right before the train's merciless wheels to meet an end suitable for a Lucio Fulci movie._

_Nagisa found herself in her beloved's arms. She revelled in her lover's warmth and hugged her back tightly. "Oh, Shizuma," Nagisa whispered._

_"You're the only one allowed to call me that," Shizuma smiled and pressed her lips against Nagisa's for an ever deepening kiss._

_"Shizuma," Nagisa moaned in between kisses. "Oh, Shizuma..."_

And just then, Nagisa started awake. She found herself sitting in the now empty classroom, puckering her lips to mid-air. She blushed slightly when she realized she didn't even remember when class had ended exactly. The only person other than her in the room was the cleaning lady.

Her mind drifted back to yesterday, when she and Shizuma had been watching an old American movie called Raiders of the Lost Ark. It was a lovely film, and a lovely excuse to curl up against Shizuma. As a result she hadn't seen all that much of the movie, but apparently enough to start daydreaming during a boring lecture today.

Nagisa quickly gathered her books and notes and stuffed them in her bag before leaving the classroom. It was already late in the afternoon and most students had left university already, especially since this was the last day before summer vacation. Today was also the day she, Shizuma and some friends would leave for their holidays. She only hoped she hadn't kept Takashi waiting too long.

She found Takashi enjoying a cigarette while leaning against his car. This car was an American style SUV, ridiculously huge for Japanese standards. It was red, and it was big. Very big. So big that it took up two parking spaces and still stuck out quite a bit in the back.

"Gomen Nasai," Nagisa said. "I was held up, Takashi-kun."

"Hi, Nagisa-chan," Takashi said as he tossed the cigarette. "No problem. Are you ready to go? We'll swing by your place to pick up Shiz and then we'll go get the rest. Come on, you'll ride shotgun."

"Okay," Nagisa smiled. "Uh, Takashi-kun? What is that weird purple horned face on both your front doors?"

"Oh, that's just the Decepticon logo. I had it spray painted on the side of the door," Takashi replied.

"Decepti-what?" Nagisa asked.

"It's," Takashi started to say. "Oh, forget it, it'd take too long to explain. Just take it from me, it's very nerdy," he shrugged as both he and Nagisa crawled into the car. Nagisa found the size-difference between Takashi's car and Shizuma's classic Corvette to be staggering. The ceiling seemed like a mile high and she practically drowned in the seat.

"Now I know what Thumbelina felt like," Nagisa said. "People with agoraphobia should not get in this car."

"Really?" Takashi said. "I actually wanted a bigger car, but the police wouldn't allow it. Come on, let's go get Shiz."

* * *

Shizuma was at home, her last class having ended much earlier that day. She had just finished a final double-check on their luggage and had set both their suitcases by the door to take them downstairs later. She took a moment to double-check to see if she had turned off the stove and locked the door on the balcony. She also checked the timers on her plants and if the water reservoirs connected to the timers were filled up. Finding everything in order, there was only one thing left to do: to coax their pet cat Maneki into the travel box. All of their friends were going on holidays as well, and since there was nobody to take care of Maneki, she had to come along.

This was easier said than done, though. Maneki was a very playful cat and when there was a travel-box on the table and Shizuma started cooing for her to come to her, she was smart enough to put two and two together and stay as far away from Shizuma as she could.

"Come here, Maneki," Shizuma called over. The cat looked at her with an expression which seemed to say : 'What? You think I'm stupid? You're the one who's stupid, stupid'.

"Neko, neko, neko," Shizuma called. Maneki ran right between her legs and hid under a table on the other side of the room.

Shizuma let out a sigh and decided to go to the kitchen. She removed a small piece of fish left over from yesterday's dinner from the trash and hoped it would do the trick. Maneki was intrigued, as she usually was by food, and walked right up to Shizuma.

"Gotcha," Shizuma smiled and picked up her wayward pet. Maneki seemed to pout when she was mercilessly locked into the travel box. "Don't worry, girl. You'll only have to spend a couple of hours in there."

Maneki let out a mournful miao.

Just then, her mobile phone rang. She took it from her pocket and read in a message from Takashi that he had parked in the street and was coming up. Just as Shizuma clicked away the message, the phone rang again.

"Hello?" Shizuma answered. "Oh, um, Orito-san. Konichiwa. I'm afraid Nagisa isn't in. Oh, you wanted to speak to me? You, um, have another business proposal for my father? Well, I don't know, I'm about to leave on holidays... Uh huh? Uh huh? Okay... I see... Well, if you mail me the proposal, I see to it that my dad gets it. Okay. Okay, I will. No need to thank me. Enjoy your day, Orito-san."

She clicked off her phone and rolled her eyes. Literally a second later, a sound came from their computer. And, indeed, Nagisa's father had already mailed the business proposal to their e-mail address. She pressed the forward-button, typed _'Sorry, dad' _above the message Orito sent her and pressed send. Shizuma then quickly turned off her computer and prepared to leave.

A few moments later, she and Takashi arrived at his car where Nagisa greeted her beloved very enthusiastically. Nagisa continued to hold on to Shizuma while Takashi loaded their suitcases into the very, very spacious trunk.

"Hm, you'd think we haven't seen each other for a year," Shizuma smiled. "We only just had lunch together, Nagisa."

"I still missed you," Nagisa smiled.

"It's been decided, Shiz," Takashi said as he put Maneki in a shadowy part of the trunk, so that she wouldn't get too warm. A battery-powered fan was attached to the travel box to keep the air cool. "Nagisa is riding shotgun today."

A sly grin crossed Shizuma's gentle features. "How far does the front seat lean back, Takashi-kun?"

* * *

And so the SUV drove over the road, its impressive size making sure than many of the tinier cars gave it a wide berth. Next to Takashi sat Nagisa, indeed riding shotgun. The front seat was leaned all the way back, and shifted as far to the rear as possible. Nagisa lay stretched, nearly strapped in by the seat belt, and had her eyes firmly shut as a feeling of utter contentment had grabbed hold of her. Behind her sat Shizuma, gently massaging her wife's shoulders with practised hands.

A soft moan escaped from Nagisa's mouth ever so often. "Shizuma," she whispered.

"Okay, try to remember that you're making it very hard for me to concentrate on driving here, what with the male hormones and anything," Takashi said. "Ah, don't worry about it too much. This car's so big and strong, it's like a bulldozer. If we hit another car, we'll probably find its remains in our glove compartment."

"That doesn't exactly fill me with confidence," Shizuma replied.

Takashi turned around the corner when he arrived at a stately looking three-storey apartment building. The rest of the gang, consisting of Kaname and Momomi, were waiting for them on the corner of the street with their luggage. Kaname looked at them with a softened expression on her face. Seeing how hot it was, she wore a loose fitting blouse above the usual jeans she always had on these days. Momomi looked absolutely adorable in her yellow dress and her matching sunhat. Yet, Nagisa knew that looks could be deceiving... One might dress up two snakes in baby clothes and put them in a crib, but that wouldn't mean they'd stop being snakes.

After Takashi had stepped out of the car to help the other girls with their luggage, Nagisa looked up to Shizuma. "Why do they have to come with us, Shizuma?" she said softly.

"We do owe them, Nagisa," Shizuma replied.

Nagisa thought for a moment. "True... I just think Kaname-san is a bit scary, that's all."

"We'll be fine," Shizuma smiled. "Kaname is harmless. Don't worry about her. Just let me deal with her."

"Is it just me or is Takashi-kun mooning over Momomi-san?" Nagisa asked.

"It's not just you," Shizuma smirked. "He's got a thing for Momomi, and Momomi knows it."

"Should we warn him?"

"He's a big boy. He'll find out by himself. He's the kind of person who needs to slam his head into the wall a couple of times before he figures out it's not in his best interest to keep slamming his head into the wall."

Outside, Takashi had opened the trunk and was getting ready to help the girls or, more accurately, to help Momomi with her luggage. Kaname beat him to the punch, though and picked up Momomi's suitcase just before he could grab it and placed it in the car.

"Could you help me with this?" Kaname asked as she presented the next piece of luggage.

"What the hell is this?" he said, referring to what looked to be a rolled up carpet with duct tape all around it.

"It's, um, something we quickly need to get rid off along the way," Kaname shrugged.

"It's heavy," Takashi said after trying to lift one side. "What is this? A body?" he joked.

Kaname bit her lip while Momomi twittered nervously. "Uh, let's say, strictly hypothetically speaking, that it is. Would you mind having it in your car?"

Momomi looked directly at Takashi, beating her eyelashes at him seductively.

"Oh, uh, not at all," Takashi replied. "As long as it doesn't start stinking up the car, I hypothetically speaking, don't mind."

"Thank you," Kaname spoke with a measure of relief as she helped Takashi get the strange package inside of the car. "Now, could we get going? It's for the best that Momomi and I leave town for a while."

"It's good for our alibi," Momomi added with a smile.

Kaname's suitcase and the carry case containing Momomi's laptop followed the dodgy package. Soon enough, Momomi and Kaname took their seats in the car, exchanging greetings with Shizuma and Nagisa.

And a few moments later, they were on the road headed towards their destination.

Japan was experiencing the worst heatwave it had since decades, and it had come at just the right time: summer vacation. It was the perfect opportunity to get away from the city and head to the beach. And as it happened, Takashi knew just where to find a beach-based Ryokan, which they would have all to themselves. Of course, the Ryokan was unmanned, so they had to do everything themselves too, but that was all part of their adventure that would last the entire summer vacation.

Of course, when their vacation was still in the early planning stage, Kaname and Momomi had somehow heard about it on the grapevine and called in one of their favors. The price for helping out Shizuma earlier was to join her and Nagisa for this holiday. Shizuma had agreed.

The car, with airconditioning set to full blast and all windows open, sped along the road, which followed a route alongside the ocean. It was still a three-hour drive to their destination, but the five occupants had more than enough to talk about, mostly reminiscing about their time at Astraea Hill.

Aside from one dubious stop, during which Kaname and Momomi had wanted to chuck their 'dodgy package' from a cliff into the ocean, there weren't any incidents. They quickly went through the cool box packed with frosty beverages as the drive continued.

"You'll love the place," Takashi smiled. "It's in the shade of some lovely trees, just about 100 meters away from a quiet part of the beach. It's got about twenty rooms, a common bathing area, but also private showers, a terrace in the back and a big dining hall. We will have to do some groceries, though. The larder's not stocked."

"It's hard to see why this Ryokan is not in use," Nagisa said. "I'd think they'd have many customers around this time of year."

"Well," Takashi grinned. "The owner had built up a bit of a gambling debt and took a loan from the bank to pay it off. Too bad for him, but he couldn't keep away from the betting shop. Long story short, he was couldn't pay back his loan and the bank impounded his Ryokan. And since my uncle is an executive at the bank in question, hey presto, a free stay at the Ryokan for us whenever we feel like it. No staff, though, but that's part of the fun."

Shizuma nodded. Her family wasn't strapped for cash, not in the slightest, but she had treated her trustfund a bit irresponsibly the past six months, taking Nagisa on many trips, having her car fitted with a new engine because her old one had been noisy and buying some rather expensive bonsai she actually hadn't needed. Then there were the expensive restaurants, the private resorts and that rather expensive necklace she'd bought for her beloved Nagisa... a necklace that was always inside a safe, because Nagisa was too afraid to actually wear it of fear of losing it. Needless to say, Shizuma's personal bank account was currently about as dry as a bone.

So, she had decided to take it easy for a while and would try to save up some money from her trustfund as it came in every month. It was also a point of pride for her that she didn't have to go to her father to borrow money for a holiday, so this free stay at this Ryokan was just what she needed. Peace, quiet and Nagisa were all the things she wanted out of a holiday.

Of course, an extended trip exploring Scandinavia with Nagisa at her side would have been nice too, but there was always next year.

As for Momomi and Kaname, Shizuma thought they probably considered staying at an unmanned Ryokan as 'roughing it'.

Shizuma's train of thought was interrupted by Nagisa's ringtone. Nagisa quickly flipped open her phone and answered enthusiastically. "Tamao-ch... Oh, hi mom. No, it's okay, I was just expecting a call from Tamao-chan, that's all. How are you? Uh-huh... Uh-huh... No, no, I'm fine. We're on the road now, driving along the ocean. Yeah, it's very hot out here. Just nice, though. Huh? Oh, okay. Yeah, she's in the backseat. I'll put her on."

Nagisa turned around and held out the phone for Shizuma, who looked at her incredulously. "It's for you," Nagisa smiled.

Seeing no way out and seeing that jumping out of the car would undoubtedly result in a twisted spine, Shizuma grudgingly took the phone. "Ah, good afternoon Aoi-san, I... Uhm, okay, I'll start again. Good afternoon, _mom_," Shizuma almost choked on the word, but she knew that agreeing with the wish of Nagisa's mother to call her 'mom' would drain a lot less energy than arguing about it would.

"Uh-huh. Uh-huh. No, I'm fine. I've forwarded Orito-san's... Oh, I'm sorry, _dad'_s business proposal to my father. Uh? Uhm, well, I don't know if he'll accept the offer. He's very demanding in business deals, after all. No, no, no. No hard feelings ever. Hm? Yeah, we'll be staying there for a month or so. Yes, we've taken Maneki with us as well. No, no, no, no laptops. No laptops, no e-mail, no TV. Just us and the beach. Don't you want to talk to Nagisa? Huh? You don't?! Seriously?! Only to me?! Because I'm the perfect son-in-law? But... Ah, yes, daughter-in-law, I thought so too. Don't know many sons-in-law with breasts. And if they do have breasts, they're not sons-in-law of the perfect variety. Oh, no, no apologies necessary. Oh, oh, we're heading into a tunnel," she said quickly. "Krrrgh... krgggh... krgghh..." she made a crackling sound with her mouth to pretend they were driving through a tunnel. "I can't hear you. Aoi-san? Are you still there? Krrrgghh... I'll call you back after our holidays. Bye!"

Shizuma hung up the phone and switched it off before handing it back to her beloved Nagisa. She sat back in the backseat with a heavy sigh, while the others in the car chuckled at her predicament.

"Oh, thank you for the sympathy," Shizuma sighed. "Why did you have to give that thing to me?"

"What was I supposed to say?" Nagisa smiled. "'Sorry, mom but she's out'. While we're driving?"

"You could have told her you accidentally left me at a gas station," Shizuma tried.

"I couldn't say that!" Nagisa pouted. "She'd scold me."

"Or you could have told her that I was up on the roof. Because I would take up high-way surfing just to avoid talking to your parents."

Nagisa giggled. "I can't help it, Shizuma. My parents love you now."

"Your parents love my family's bank-account," Shizuma sighed. "Not me."

"Says the girl with no money to her name," Nagisa smirked.

"Sure, rub it in," Shizuma sighed. "You know as well as I that that's just a temporary situation."

"Seriously, though, I've heard them brag about you to their friends. How their cute daughter has found the perfect spouse."

"Perfect 'loaded' spouse, more like," Shizuma smirked. "Let me guess, they never mention my gender, right?"

"Nope. Just that you're gorgeous, rich and good in bed, leaving their precious Nagisa without a care in the world."

"Gorgeous, rich and good in bed," Shizuma smiled to herself. "I can live with that."

"Me too," Nagisa blushed slightly.

Momomi looked up from her book and smiled gently at the two lovers. "Isn't that romantic, Kaname?"

Kaname frowned. "Pfft, come on. Are you going soft on me, Momomi? It's nothing special. Couples in love are a dime a dozen."

Momomi smiled. "I don't know, I thought it was all very romantic. Remember how Shizuma-sama ran into the cathedral and proclaimed her love for Nagisa-san in front of everyone. That took real courage, and I for one think it was amazing."

Kaname rolled her eyes again. "You _ARE_ going soft on me."

"Funny," Momomi wondered. "I was thinking. They've been together for three years and have already been married for almost one year. We've been together for six and we've never even talked about it. I guess..."

"Oh, come on," Kaname interrupted, sounding slightly nervous. "We don't NEED to get married, Momomi. We're happy as we are."

Momomi raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

Takashi, Nagisa and Shizuma exchanged a look. All three of them knew that Kaname had stepped right into a minefield. And wether or not she'd step onto a mine and be tossed twelve feet into the air would be determined by her next words.

"Momomi," Kaname started. "It wouldn't make sense for us to get married. It wouldn't add anything new to our relationship, Momomi. So you might as well stop thinking about it, because it's never going to happen. Not ever."

**BOOM!**

Momomi narrowed her eyes. "So you say, but you certainly act as if we are married already. Like whenever you come home after a long day of university and you toss off your shoes, throw your dirty socks on the floor and veg out in front of the television with a Pepsi. I mean, Kaname doesn't think to pick up her socks and throw them into the hamper. No, they might as well be yelling 'Hey, Momomi, come pick us up and wash us because Kaname never bothers anyway'. And it doesn't help that they don't exactly smell like roses, you know? It gets even worse when you come back from the dirtbike track. Who has the honor of scrubbing the mud off your racing suit? Not Kaname, I can tell you that."

"Hey, when I get back from the track, I'm tired and my muscles ache all over. I..."

"Oh, poor Kaname. Luckily she has Momomi the Maid to take care of her every whim and desire."

"Now, that's just not fair! Why do you have to be such a bitch about this?"

It didn't take long after that for the expletives to start being hurled back and forth. Poor Shizuma found herself caught in the middle. Kaname and Momomi bickered and swore at each other until Momomi had been driven so far over the edge she had lost all semblance to the calm and calculating girl she was. Shizuma did her best to come in between the fighting girls, but her efforts were completely in vain as her words fell on deaf ears.

"Shall I tell you all a secret?! A secret Kaname desperately wants to keep? Oh, I swear, you'll never look at her in the same light ever again!" Momomi shouted.

"Momomi!" Kaname's eyes grew wide. "Don't!"

"Oh, yes. Kaname here is a swooning fangirl. Didn't you know that? Oh, yes, she is! She is obsessed to the level of buying collector's plates on Ebay. She's a harcore fan to the extreme. A fangirl who worships..."

"MOMOMI!"

"WEIRD AL YANKOVIC!"

"You BITCH! You promised to never tell anyone!"

"You drove me to it! You only have yourself to blame!"

Silence.

"So, uhm," Nagisa asked. "Who is Weird Al Yankovic?"

Kaname didn't merely stare daggers at Nagisa, she also mentally stabbed her over 100 times in the chest, neck and face. She muttered something, but Nagisa could only make out the words 'Philistine' and 'bloody musical genius'.

"Weird Al is an American singer who reworks existing songs into great parody music," Takashi told Nagisa. "Wonderful!" he looked over his shoulder with a broad grin. "I should recognize a fellow nerd whenever I see one, but then again you hide it well."

"I AM NOT A NERD!" Kaname shouted.

"Yes," Momomi hissed. "You are. And now everybody knows."

"Have you heard Weird Al's latest album? Straight Outta Lynwood?" Takashi asked.

"I certainly have not!" Kaname stammered.

"Oh, yes, she has," Momomi glowered. "She has it looped on the stereo at home. She has every single one of his songs he ever released on her MP3 player."

"M-momomi," Kaname gasped at her lover's betrayal.

"Don't worry," Takashi said. "Kaname-san, you're obviously a nerd, but you're still in the closet. Don't worry, girl. We've all been there at one point."

Kaname's only response was a low growl.

"Everybody's a nerd in some way or another," Takashi spoke. "Shiz is a bonsai-nerd, I'm an all-round nerd and you, Nagisa, are a peppy nerd."

"Gee, thanks," Nagisa chuckled.

Still the mood in the car was thoroughly soured. Momomi refused to sit next to Kaname any longer and practically climbed over Shizuma to get to the other side of the car. And so Kaname ended out staring out of the left window in silence, having put on her MP3-player. Momomi sat next to the right door and sat towards the window, having taken out her PSP and piddling away playing Megaman. She wore earplugs, masking the sound. Momomi and Kaname couldn't stand to look at each other at this moment.

In between the two angry lovers sat a very miffed Shizuma. Not only had she been roughly shoved aside, but she was now decidedly out of range of her Nagisa. Nagisa, in turn, found that her shoulders were experiencing severe Shizuma withdrawal. All that could be heard in the car was the sound of the engine.

Shizuma suddenly pulled an earphone from Kaname's ears and put it in her own for a moment.

"It's not Weird Al," Kaname was quick to say. "I'm not in the mood for Al right now. I'm now in the mood for some heavy metal."

Shizuma listened for a moment. "_'It's darkness, it's pain. It's bodies bleeding in the rain'_?" Shizuma asked before returning the earphone.

"I find it soothing," Kaname shrugged.

Nagisa sighed. The only thing she could hear was the hum of the engine and Momomi's fingers pressing the buttons to make Megaman jump. "This is going to be a long, long ride," she sighed before closing her eyes for a little nap.

* * *

_Nagisa frantically punched at the controls of her spacecraft as she desperately tried to get away from her pursuers. Her heart pounded in her throat as the craft rocked from the impact of yet another blast from her enemies' weapons._

_It would have been just another boring cargo-run from the lunar supply base to the Colony Londonian at Side 1. The young pilot had made this run about ten times already. Just punch in the coordinates, pull out a Sodoku and wait for twelve hours. Boring and uneventful. Today, that had changed considerably._

_The sluggish cargo carrier moved as fast as it could, but Nagisa knew it was no use to try to outrun her attackers. There was no way a cargo carrier could outrun the trio of mobile suits that was hot on her tail._

_Undoubtedly they were pirates out to get her cargo. The problem was that they didn't need to keep the carrier intact to capture the cargo, since the cargo was loaded in crates that would survive the ship's destruction. Unfortunately, Nagisa was not as well-protected as the load of self-sealing stembolts she was charged to deliver._

_Another explosion rocked the carrier violently. The missile hadn't hit the craft itself, it had just exploded at the bow, too far away to do any damage, but just close enough to shake the ship to its core._

_And then there was again the joyful mocking laughter of the three pirates over the comm-system. They were joying with her. They were going to have their little fun before moving in for the kill. Nagisa had never been this scared in her entire life._

_When another explosion rocked the ship, she just couldn't take it anymore. _

_"Stop it!" she shouted into the comm, tears streaming over her face. "Please! You can have the cargo! Just leave me alone!"_

_But her desperate pleas fell on deaf ears. The mocking laughter intensified. "Poor little girl. Crying won't save you, little princess. You're playing with the big boys now! And we play rough."_

_Nagisa squeezed her eyes shut as another bout of mocking laughter taunted her. But suddenly, the laughter fell silent. Surprised by this, Nagisa opened her eyes again. And there, in the distance, neatly silhouetted by the burning sun, she saw what was causing the three pirates such sudden distress._

_"It's... It's..." one of the pirates stammered. "It's a GUNDAM!!" _

_The Gundam was magnificent. With a carapace as black as space itself, and a noble stature that would rival the Samurai of times long past. And in its grey arms, it held an energy scythe. It was a veritable Shinigami of steel._

_Suddenly, the Gundam shot forward with almost impossible speed. The scythe struck true, carving one of the pirate mobile suits in half before he had even time to react. The second pirate went down just as quickly, his death-scream cut off abruptly as his mobile suit exploded in a cloud of glowing metal shards and burning gas._

_The third pirate actually managed to put up a fight and Nagisa watched in awe as the Gundam matched every single move the pirate made. The pirate and the Gundam were locked in a dance of death, darting around the carrier with near impossible speed._

_Then, disaster struck. The pirate had fired an energy-beam which the Gundam deftly avoided. Unfortunately for Nagisa, the beam would certainly hit the carrier full on. Nagisa broke from her stupor and tried to get the carrier to move out of the way of the beam. But she knew it was in vain. The beam hit the carrier's pilot section and Nagisa could practically feel the searing heat of the beam as it collided with her cockpit. The roof of the carrier was consumed by the beam. There was a sudden rush of air and too late Nagisa realized that she, in her panic, had never remembered to strap in her safety harness._

_Nagisa cried out in terror when she was sucked out into space and saw the dying carrier spiraling ever further away. She just prayed to any divine being actually listening that she HAD remembered to fasten the helmet to her spacesuit._

_Weightless and without hope, Nagisa floated in the darkness of space for what felt like an eternity. Until suddenly she found herself right in front of the Gundam. The machine was even more impressive from up close, where she could make out the subtle platework and the color scheme. This machine had been made by someone who considered his or her craft an art._

_She was startled when she saw a hatch in the Gundam's torso section open. Out came a tall pilot in a grey suit. Though the helmet didn't reveal any features, the grey suit was almost skin-tight and judging from her form, she was definitely female._

_The tall female beckoned her towards her and, for a moment, Nagisa was afraid to follow her into the machine. But considering any other choice meant suffocating in space when her air-supply would run out, the choice was simple._

_The cockpit was small, too small for two persons. Nagisa blushed as the tall female set her on her lap and pressed a button to close the hatch. Cramped wasn't the word. Cozy definitely was. As soon as atmosphere had returned to the cockpit, the woman took off her helmet._

_An ocean of grey hair fell from her helmet, making Nagisa wonder how she had ever managed to fit it all inside her suit. The woman was beautiful in every sense of the word. A warm smile and eyes that Nagisa could fall into and never be found again._

_"Your ship was destroyed," the woman said softly. "I'm sorry I couldn't save it, but I am happy that you are alive. I will bring you to the colony. I'm afraid I can't offer you a seat, but we'll have to make due."_

_Nagisa felt her heart skip a beat with every word from this gorgeous woman she was now in intimate contact with. _

_"That's o-okay," Nagisa stammered. "I'm Aoi Nagisa. Thank you for rescuing me." _

_"In that case," the silver-haired pilot replied with a smile. "I shall call you Nagisa-chan. I am Hanazono Shizuma."_

_"Shizuma," Nagisa whispered. And Nagisa felt completely safe as Shizuma held her. "Shizuma." _

"Hmmm, Shizuma," Nagisa whispered. Her eyes fluttered open and she slowly realized she was still sitting in Takashi-kun's car. Two things immediately registered in her mind. First of all, she wasn't the only one sitting in this over-sized seat. In fact, she was sitting on somebody's lap. Somebody who had two arms wrapped around her waist and held her ever so lovingly. Secondly, she had been daydreaming about Gundams of all things... Nagisa guessed she had been hanging around Akiko too long.

"Shizuma," Nagisa smiled as she stretched and eased back into Shizuma's embrace.

"Hm," Shizuma whispered and gently kissed Nagisa just below her earlobe, making her swoon slightly. "Had a nice nap?"

"Waking up was even nicer," Nagisa replied. "Are we..."

"Don't worry," Shizuma whispered. "We're both sharing one seat belt."

"No, no," Nagisa chuckled. "I was just wondering why you're here with me all of a sudden. Not that I'm complaining, but..."

"Look over your shoulder," Shizuma whispered in her ear. Nagisa did so and couldn't help but blush.

In the backseat, Momomi was sitting in Kaname's lap. The two lovers were embracing each other and kissing each other with mad passion. Momomi held Kaname tightly while Kaname ran her hands through Momomi's long hair. The two of them were obviously tongue-wrestling, as if it was an olympic event. Ever so often, a moan or a sigh could be heard in between the plenthora of kissing sounds.

"I thought I should give them some privacy," Shizuma said. "They're busy making up after that nasty fight."

"Wow. Don't they need to breathe?" Nagisa asked.

Takashi looked in his rear-view mirror and found himself staring at Momomi and Kaname for a moment. His eyes seemed to be glazing over. The car started to swerve slightly shortly after that.

"EEEEEHHH?! TAKASHI-KUN! EYES ON THE ROAD!! EYES ON THE ROAD!!" Nagisa wailed. Takashi snapped out of his lesbian kissage induced trance and once again took control of the car.

Nagisa was still shaking from the ordeal, but Shizuma was a little calmer and turned a frown towards Takashi. "Takashi-kun," Shizuma spoke. "We just came dangerously close to hitting the railing at the side of the road... and the 50 meter drop into the ocean beyond the railing."

In the backseat, Momomi and Kaname hadn't noticed a thing.

"Uh, sorry," Takashi blushed. "I, uh... It's a male thing. That's all I can say. Oh, my god, Kaname just slid her hands up Momomi's dress..."

"EYES ON THE ROAD!! EYES ON THE ROAD!!" Nagisa shouted again.

Luckily for Nagisa's sanity, the very beach they were headed to could be seen in the distance as they turned around another bend in the road. The sun had started to set and sun into the ocean, illuminating the beach in an orange glow. All over, people had started campfires, adding to the atmosphere. At the side of the beach was a large stretch of cool forest, in which the Ryokan was located. It was a fitting conclusion to a five-hour drive in the smoldering heat.

"We're almost there," Takashi said. "I still have some cold drinks in the icebox, and the rooms should be nice and cool too. I'm just about ready for bed... and I'm guessing these two behind us need to be alone in a room very quickly. Peace and quiet too. We have a nice little stretch of private beach all to ourselves."

Nagisa smiled. Here she was, being held by her wife and about to start a lovely holiday with her at a wonderful spot. How could things get any better than this?

* * *

Next part, which will be released after part 7 of Everybody Loves Yaya, will bring Chikaru and Shion onto the stage.


	2. Chapter 2 : Enjoying a Rainy Day

Hello everyone. The latest part his been finished, turned out a little long too. Oh, I still don't own Strawberry Panic. I also don't own the Transformers. I am sad about not owning both. :) Small warning: teenage boys are containing within this story.

I hope you'll enjoy this story. Shion and Chikaru make their first appearance here.

* * *

**We're all going on a... Summer Holiday.**

**Chapter 2 : Enjoying a Rainy Day**

_Kaname awoke in a dank cellar. Mildew and rot was all over the walls. She felt a dull ache in the back of her skull, and the last thing she remembered was looking into the eyes of the person wearing a boar's mask before she had lost consciousness. Quickly, her eyes darted around to look for a way out, but she found no quick escape route. There were no windows and the only door was bolted shut. The whole thing seemed like something straight from a Silent Hill game, now with the added sensation of smell._

_Not only that, but Kaname was feeling sick. She was really, really sick... it felt as if her insides were on fire. Her vision started to blur, and she sat down for a moment to try to regain her composure, when she noticed a strange tv-set in the middle of the room. The black and white picture showed a rather creepy looking puppet._

_"Hello, Kaname," said an eerily electronically masked voice. "I'd like to play a game."_

_For Kaname, this all sounded a bit familiar. She vaguely remembered reading in the papers about some person called Jigsaw who put people through sadistic games._

_"Figures," Kaname coughed and covered her mouth with her hand. Kaname felt something wet splatter against her skin and she soon noticed with some consternation that her hand was now covered with her own blood._

_"Kaname... you have been using people all your life. People you call friend. People you call enemy. Even the person you claim to love above all others. Does your Momomi know what a wretch you really are, I wonder? Like a leech you have been feeding off others to sate your own meaningless existence. Today, we shall see how far you will go to use another person for your own benefit. I have injected you with a slow acting poison. This poison will slowly consume you from the inside out. You only have a few minutes left before the effect becomes irreversible and then you will die horribly as your internal organs will liquify and you will drown in your own fluids."_

_Kaname suddenly became acutely aware that there was another person in this room. Especially when a blanket was pulled from what looked to be an operating table. On the table lay gagged and bound no other person than Amane. Next to her lay an assorted array of blunted and rusty scalpels. Amane struggled against her bonds, but it was to no avail. She looked upon Kaname with pure fear in her eyes, apparently realizing her life was now in Kaname's hands._

_"A vial of antidote to the poison is located inside of Amane's stomach. How far will you go to save your own life, Kaname? Are you willing to cause the death of another to prolong your own wretched existence. Will you..."_

_"Okay, done!" Kaname shouted out while she wiped Amane's blood from her hands. The screwed the top of the vial and downed the contents, feeling better almost instantly. "Can I go now?"_

_"Uh..." Jigsaw seemed surprised, but quickly regained his composure. "Congratulations. You are still alive. So many people are so ungrateful to be alive. But not you, Kaname. You..."_

_"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Kaname said quickly and pointed to the disemboweled corpse of Amane. "You're the one cleaning that up, right? Uh, oh, hey, I'm somewhere out of town, correct? I need to get back to the hotel. Spot me some cab money."_

_"Look, this really isn't..."_

_"Hey, you're the one who kidnapped me. I'm entitled to a little cab fare, I'd think. Plus, I won your game. Consider it my prize."_

_Jigsaw sighed. "You are a pest, aren't you? Alright. My wallet will be on the puppet. Just take a twenty from it."_

_The puppet cycled in from a hatch and Kaname immediately took it and flipped it open. She spotted two one-hundred dollar bills in there. She grinned and as she grabbed the twenty, she quickly pretended to cough and surreptitiously slid the two one-hundred dollar bills into her sleeve. "Ta very much," she replied and replaced the wallet. "See ya!"_

Kaname yawned slightly and stretched in bed, still remembering the high points of her oh-so realistic dream. 'Hm, getting to disembowel Amane and free money to boot! Pretty sweet deal,' Kaname closed her eyes and smiled to herself. She opened her eyes again and listened to the rain as it trickled on the roof above them. The sounds mixed with the soft feminine snore of Momomi who lay curled up against her.

She checked the clock, it was 5:45. Way too early to officially wake up. She decided to go downstairs to get a glass of water before she'd return to sleep. Kaname gently disentangled herself from Momomi without waking her up, a technique she had perfected over the years she had been with her.

She grabbed a shirt from the pile of clothes on the floor and pulled it over her head. She glanced out the window and cursed slightly. She knew this type of rain would easily last all day. And the fact that it rained didn't mean that today's temperature would be any lower than yesterday. It would just be horribly perfect if they'd have exceedingly high temperature, very high humidity and be stuck inside all day to boot: a deadly combination. She just hoped the airconditioning wouldn't give up the ghost.

She carefully slid open the paper door as to not wake Momomi and made her way barefoot over the cool wooden boards in the hallway. When she passed the room where Shizuma and Nagisa were staying, she noticed the door was ajar slightly. She couldn't resist peeking inside, only to see the two of them embracing each other while they slept. Maneki, their pet cat, lay curled up and sleeping at the side of the bed.

Nagisa lay on her side, while Shizuma clutched on to her, holding onto her waist with both arms, having her legs locked with Nagisa's and seemingly nuzzling the nape of Nagisa's neck. Still, Kaname found this curious. She had expected Nagisa to be clutching onto Shizuma, rather than the other way around, considering the younger girl's personality. Especially after what had happened earlier yesterday evening:

_So far the Ryokan was looking very good to the girls visiting. It was large, it was cool, it had a perfect location in the forest and was only about 50 meters away from the beach. Plenty of rooms, a nice common room, a large kitchen, a pool and a bath area and, best of all, it was all theirs alone. While Momomi was upstairs looking for a room, Shizuma and Kaname had unloaded their luggage from the trunk and had placed it next to the staircase. Nagisa had apparently released their pet cat Maneki, who was running back and forth exploring the rooms, but soon afterwards, Nagisa herself had run off. Shizuma figured she had gone upstairs to look for a room as well._

_Takashi had been here before with friends and it showed: a large collection of games, manga's and assorted nerd-stuff had been gathered on the shelves of the common room. Of course, Takashi had invited Shizuma many times to join him and their other friends, but Shizuma had never had the time to join him before. Something she regretted, considering her friends always came back with stories of how much fun they had had. She promised herself she'd one day make the time to take this trip again with all her friends from university in the near future._

_"Help!" Nagisa came running into the common room. "Shizuma, Kaname-san! I need your help."_

_Shizuma walked up to her Nagisa and took her hand with some concern. "What happened? Are you okay? Did you see a spider? Do you want me to find a vacuum cleaner?"_

_In the background, Kaname rolled her eyes._

_"No, no," Nagisa pouted. "I, uh," she blushed. "I need to use the little girl's room. But... but..."_

_Kaname cursed under her breath. "Have you forgotten already? It's down the hall to the left. Seriously, Nagisa-san. Are you expecting Shizuma-sama to hold your hand all your life?"_

_Shizuma short Kaname an angry glare, but Nagisa opened her mouth first before Shizuma could correct Kaname._

_"It's not that, Kaname-san!" Nagisa replied harshly, with a touch of panic in her voice. "I know where the toilet is, I just don't know how to use it!"_

_Shizuma blinked. "I'm sorry? What?"_

_"Oh, come on, how old are you?!" Kaname retorted._

_Nagisa shook her head and took both Shizuma and Kaname by the hand, pulling them towards the bathroom. Kaname was about to utter some vicious swear-words, but when she saw the toilet standing in front of her, she understood why Nagisa was having trouble. The toilet had two large control panels on either side, filled from side to side with buttons._

_"What the..." Kaname blinked. "This is like the command chair of the Starship Enterprise."_

_"Oh, you would know what that looks like," Shizuma spoke with thinly veiled sarcasm._

_"Shut up!" Kaname retorted._

_"I know!" Nagisa pouted. "I can't open the lid and there's no visible flush mechanism."_

_Shizuma stepped forward and tried to lift the lid, first applying some force and then putting her back into it a little. Finally, she had to give up. "That thing isn't budging," Shizuma looked at the control panel, all buttons marked with romanji and none were marked clearly. Except..._

_"Oh, here's the on-button," Shizuma pressed it quickly. With a hum, the toilet sprang to life, lighting up the control panels and filling the room with an electric crackle._

_"Will the lid open now?" Kaname asked. Shizuma once again tried it, but it would not open._

_"No," Shizuma replied. "Must be one of these buttons."_

_"Please! HURRY!" Nagisa wailed behind them._

_"When's Takashi-san coming back? He's been here before, I bet he knows how to use it," Kaname asked._

_"No good," Shizuma shook her head. "He's out looking for a parking space, so we'll probably won't see him for another hour."_

_"I'll never last that long!" Nagisa wailed. "God, I'm so embarrassed. Oh, why did have to drink so many cola's in the car?!"_

_"Oh," Kaname grinned as she fished a booklet from the side of the toilet. "Let's see, installation instructions." She flipped through the booklet and started at page one. "'Willkommen zum Anleitungs Handbuch zur Mr. Flush 2000 K-R-A-P. Vielen dank für das Kaufen der Toilette der Zukunft.' Oh, crap, it's in German."_

_"I didn't know you read German, Kaname-san," Shizuma said._

_"I don't, that's the problem," she sighed, tossing the booklet. "Useless."_

_"Let's just press a few buttons and see what happens," Shizuma suggested. Immediately, she picked a few random buttons and pressed them. "Let's see. Chron... Tim... Select..."_

_"Oh, great, you started the stopwatch now!" Kaname shook her head. "Look, you don't know what you're doing, Shizuma-sama."_

_"Well, neither do you!" Shizuma protested._

_"Hm, let's try these," Kaname said. "Hm. Select... Insert... Capslock... Volume ..."_

_The toilet started playing a little melody._

_"Hey, is that Handel?" Kaname asked._

_"No, it's Mozart," Shizuma replied. "Okay, let me try. Browser... Select... Download..."_

_"Hey," Kaname said as she looked at a tiny screen on one of the panels. "Wow, it's got a live uplink to the Tokyo Times website! That's pretty handy if you forget to bring a newspaper."_

_Nagisa, in the meantime, stood in the hallways on crossed legs, close to tears. "Shizuma... Kaname-san... Onegai!"_

_"Hm, the built-in Resident Evil Survivor game is a little slow. Ah, there's your problem!" Kaname said as she consulted the technical specs. "This thing only has a 20 GB harddrive and only 1 GB of internal memory! I think it needs a new videocard too."_

_"What's this?" Shizuma said as she found a tiny button labelled 'prepare to receive'. She pressed it and with a slow mechanical sound, the lid started to rise._

_"GOMEN! GOMEN!" Nagisa shouted as she ran into the bathroom, gently shoved Shizuma and Kaname out of the room and slammed the door shut._

_Shizuma and Kaname shared a look when they heard Nagisa's sigh of relief from the other side of the door._

_"I wonder if she can figure out how to flush," Shizuma wondered._

_"I'm not sticking around to find out," Kaname grinned. "Good luck with that, Shizuma-sama!"_

Kaname still wondered what Shizuma-sama saw in Nagisa. Certainly, the girl had grown up to be a very attractive young woman, but there were elements to Nagisa's personality which Kaname simply found repulsive. Being the stately Queen of Queens that Shizuma-sama had been during her days of Etoile-hood, she had always seemed aloof and distant to Kaname... then again, she had never truly known the 'true Shizuma' that Rokujou had always been on about. She'd only met Shizuma after becoming part of the student council, and before that she had never mingled with the Miator crowd. But she had to admit that the Shizuma she knew now was a lot looser and open than the one she had known at Miator.

There had to be something to Nagisa. After all, she had managed to conquer the heart of the single most desired and respected student in all of Astraea Hill, succeeding where so many had tried and failed utterly. But she'd be damned if she saw it. Mostly, Kaname considered Nagisa to be an annoying pest and hoped to have to interact as little as possible with her during this vacation. Of course, now that it was raining profusely outside, chances of that were slim... at least, today.

Kaname made her way to the kitchen, poured herself a glass of water and sat down in the common room for a moment. She picked a manga from the shelf and flipped through the pages while taking a sip ever so often. A few minutes later, her glass was empty. She replaced the manga and watched the rain for a bit. Then, she returned upstairs and back to her room where she slipped under the duvet and was immediately caught in a loving embrace by the still-sleeping Momomi.

Life was good.

* * *

Shizuma and Nagisa awoke relatively late. Momomi and Kaname had already awakened and had already bathed. Shizuma and Nagisa were quick to follow, and bathed together in the large and luxurious communal bath. After soaking for a bit longer than expected, and after Shizuma was forced to speak with Nagisa's mother over the phone twice, they left the bath. Both girls were about to go to the common room, when Shizuma's phone ran again. While Nagisa excused herself to go to the kitchen, Shizuma answered her phone.

"Look, I told you already..." Shizuma nearly shouted in her phone, when she was startled by a frightened gasp from the other end of the line.

"Uh, Shizuma-sama?" sounded Kizuna from the other end of the line. "We could call back if this is a bad time."

"Oh... Oh..." Shizuma blushed. "I... Forgive me, Kizuna-san. I thought you were someone else. I take it Remon and Kagome are on the other end of the line as well?"

"Hai!" sounded from Remon. "We've having a five-way conference this time."

Shizuma frowned. "Five way? Oh, don't tell me that..."

"Yes," Kagome announced. "Onshibaru has his own phone this time. He doesn't have to share with me."

Shizuma blinked. "Onshibaru... Has his own phone... Kagome-chan, which year are you in now?"

"Fourth year. Onshibaru wonders why you asked?" Kagome added.

Shizuma shook her head. "No reason. No reason at all. So, I gather this is about the Welcome Back To School ceremony and party you're planning after summer vacation ends, right?"

"HAI!" all three girls started in unison.

"Alright, let's go over your plans for a bit and I'll give you some tips as we go along."

As all three girls bombarded Shizuma with ideas for the party, ranging from outrageously clever to preposterously unwise. Shizuma listened with patience and told them where to focus their attention and which ideas were better left unused. Sometimes that meant putting the girls down a bit, but it was for their own good.

After Amane had graduated and could no longer fill the role of Etoile, Lulim had presented their candidates for Etoile and nobody, absolutely nobody had expected them to win. Spica had accused them of pulling the sympathy votes, Miator had accused the entire student body have having collectively blown a gasket... but the fact remained that Kizuna, Remon and Kagome had been elected fair and square and had taken up the roles of Etoile.

Traditionally, Lulim never had many turns as holder of the Etoile seat and when they had, they had never lasted over a year. The rivalry between Spica and Miator was legendary and few of the laid-back Lulim Etoiles had the ability to deal with that pressure. But not so with these three girls.

In fact, Kizuna, Remon and Kagome were in an unprecedented second term of Etoiles for Lulim and were so popular that they would easily win a third election, despite both Miator and Spica's best efforts to unseat them.

Of course, their success was also thanks to Shizuma's efforts. As a personal favor to Chikaru, Shizuma had been acting as the girls' secret advisor, a very little known fact. With her help, the three girls have been able to survive the backstabbers from the other schools, managed to keep the peace and, despite their naivete, managed to fulfil the role that was expected of them.

It was a labor of love for Shizuma. She delighted in thwarting backstabbery and besides, they were nice girls who truly deserved the role of Etoile.

Momomi had once told her that she and Kaname had been contacted by the current Spica student council. The Spican council wanted them to come up with a plan to get rid of the Etoile-trio in favor of their own candidates, but they had flat-out refused them. Kaname had reasoned that if Spica was unable to unseat even those 'three useless idiots' by themselves, they just didn't deserve their help to begin with.

Shizuma sat down in the common room of the Ryokan and chatted with the Etoiles for a while. Together, they came up with an action plan to make the Welcome Back To School party a fun experience for students of all three schools, without necessarily insulting or wronging Spica or Miator, at the cost of a slightly bigger chunk out of the year's budget than expected, but she was sure they would manage.

In the end, the three girls (and Onshibaru, apparently) thanked Shizuma profusely, leaving her with a sense of accomplishment as she headed into the kitchen. There she found Kaname, Nagisa, Momomi and Takashi scrounging around for food.

Nagisa had sent Shizuma to do some groceries before they left, which consisted of some eggs, coffee and ingredients for miso soup. Enough for one day, because Nagisa considered they probably wouldn't have time to do groceries the first day. Of course, it seemed that everybody was grateful that Nagisa had remembered to do this, because the fridge yielded very little in the way of food. Edible food, at least.

"Well, gals," Takashi bit his lip as he emerged from the fridge. "There is some yoghurt left over from the last time I was here. But if you want it, you're going to have to shave it first."

"I'll pass," Momomi said. "So, what do we eat then?"

"Well," Nagisa said. "I think we could have some miso-soup with rolled omelet. There's some rice and dried seaweed in the cupboard here. We could cook that. It'll be a bit of an improvised breakfast/lunch combo, but it should do the trick. Who's up for helping in the kitchen?"

Nagisa glanced around her.

Takashi smiled apologetically. "Sorry, I'm a male college student. All I can fix are insta-noodles."

Kaname glared at her, a glare which conveyed the message 'What? Me? Cook? ME?! Yeah, I'll cook something, alright. I'll shove a large metal spit up your butt and roast you over an open fire. Don't look at me again or I'll kill you and eat you!'

She found Momomi fiddling with the furnace. "There doesn't seem to be an on-switch."

"Uh, that's because it's a gas-lit stove, not an electric one," Nagisa said.

"What?!" Momomi frowned. "They make them run on gas?"

"Yes."

"Really?!"

"Yes."

Now knowing that Momomi probably wouldn't be much help, she turned to her wife. Shizuma twittered nervously when Nagisa looked in her direction. "But..." Shizuma started. "There aren't any cookbooks here." Nagisa nodded. She knew that Shizuma was a good cook. In fact, she was an excellent cook. Problem was, that she wasn't a very intuitive cook. If there were clear instructions for her to follow, she could make meals fit for a king. If she were left on her own devices, however, she would get nervous, her self-confidence would take a dip and even the easiest to prepare meals would end in a spectacular failure. One time Shizuma and Nagisa were staying at a summer cottage near Okinawa and Shizuma had actually managed to make the cottage's oven explode.

"Alright," Nagisa sighed. "I come from a middle-class family. I'll take charge here. Let's work together here."

"Hm, who died and made you Hirohito?" Kaname scoffed, but Nagisa merely narrowed her eyes.

"You don't work, you won't eat," Nagisa stated simply.

"Now, you listen to me..."

"Kaname," Momomi added her voice to the chorus. "You don't work, you won't eat."

Kaname sighed. "Traitor," she muttered under her breath and grabbed an apron.

* * *

After Nagisa had put on her general's hat, she assigned tasks. Momomi would be in charge of the omelets, while she would supervise Kaname and Takashi as they prepare the ingredients for the miso-soup. Shizuma was put on cooking the rice, since that was something even she couldn't mess up. She hoped.

About 20 minutes of turning the kitchen into a warzone, the five friends sat in the common room, each with a bowl of steaming hot miso soup, a bowl of cooked rice and a rolled spicey omelet stuffed with steamed seaweed. While they sat on the couch and chairs enjoying their breakfast, Shizuma looked out the window. It was raining steadily, the air was humid and the air conditioner was working overtime to suppress the heat. All in all, they'd have to postpone exploring the area for today.

"So, what are we going to do today?" Nagisa asked.

"No TV," Kaname sighed. "I know we didn't want one here, but right now we could use one to stave off boredom."

"Well," Takashi said. "If you want to read, there's plenty of books and manga's around here. I've got all issues of Hellsing. Oh, I got an idea, if you're willing! I swear, you're going to love this!"

He ran off and came back with a stack of hardcover books. Nagisa took one of the books from the stack and noticed the title was in English. "Eh? What's this? 'Dungeons and Dragons v3.5 Players Handbook'?"

"Alright," Takashi grinned. "Let me explain about this game..."

It had taken some effort, but with Takashi's help, the girls were well on their way to create their very first DnD characters. Shizuma enjoyed the idea of being a bard, because they could sing and do magic. Nagisa, on the other hand, found the sorceress the most appealing character class, while Kaname had opted to play an odd character: a halfling Barbarian.

"So you pick your race and class," Takashi said. "I am the dungeon master, so I don't play a character but lead the game and tell the story. You are actually the player characters, and I believe Momomi-san is already done with her character."

"My character is Duenedane Lightbringer, Paladin of Tyr and champion of Justice and Light. Her class is Undead Hunter, so she specializes in killing zombies and vampires," Momomi said.

"You have been playing entirely too much World of Warcraft lately, Momomi," Kaname shook her head.

"I hear the Weird Al fan speaking, but her insults do not reach me," Momomi smirked.

"Okay," Takashi said. "Shiz, you're almost done, but you still have to name your character."

Shizuma looked up from scribbling on her paper. "Uhm, okay. How about I just be Shizuma?"

"You can't."

Shizuma blinked. "But... I am Shizuma."

"That's exactly why you can't be Shizuma."

"But... if I am Shizuma, and yet I can't be Shizuma, then who am I right now?" Shizuma scratched her head.

Takashi chuckled. "Well, the whole idea of Roleplaying is that you're pretending to be someone else. If you name your character Shizuma, you will become the character. It's not roleplaying if you're being yourself."

"Ah, I get it," Shizuma thought for a moment. "How about if I call myself... Hitomi?"

"Oh, I like that," Nagisa squeezed her lover's shoulder. "You kinda look like a Hitomi too."

"Just Hitomi? Hm, bit bland," Takashi said. "Let's call you Hitomi Crenshinibon the Dragonmaster, daughter of Alyssa Stormhandkeep. Sounds proper fantasylike. Nagisa-chan?"

"Hm," Nagisa bit her lip for a moment. "Hmm, how about... Mai?"

"Okay," Takashi replied. "Mai Laeral Belial the Thunderbringer, most radiant of the Arcane Tower of Luskan, it is. Alright, we're ready to play."

"Oh, wait," Kaname said. "I don't have a name yet."

"Well," Momomi grinned. "You're a halfling barbarian girl... so we can only go with Frodi."

"Frodi ElfSlayer Ahrimanes the Dimwitted it is," Takashi replied. "Hey, don't scowl at me, your character has an intelligence score of 6, Kaname-san."

After Takashi spent some time explaining the rules of the game a bit more in depth, the game was ready to start.

_Long ago, it was troubled time on the world of Toril. Down on the sandy, windswept plane of Zarg, near the Coast of Bone and the Field of Ghasts, where the undead monsters roamed in search of flesh and mischief, our party travelled across the arid, wicked lands along the Sword Coast. There on that same spot where once the Battle of a Thousand Orcs raged between the faction of the Beast Races and the noble paladins of Athkatla for dominance over the Empire of Zarg, son of Zarkonnen, who was begotten by Zin-zal-Kahn, ruler of the wicked East and subservient of Thay. Their horses pounded the sand of the arid plane, sending huge clouds of dusts towards the night sky, while the stars lit their path. _

"Is that the Conan the Destroyer soundtrack?" Kaname asked after Takashi had turned up the CD-player.

"Sh, don't break the immersion," Momomi hushed Kaname.

"Why am I not surprised you recognize the Conan the Destroyer theme?" Takashi grinned.

"I, uh," Kaname blushed slightly. "S-SHUT UP!"

_Our heroes were four mighty warriors. Hitomi the bard, and chronicler of their many adventures. Mai, the mysterious and powerful sorceress from the east. Duenedane Lightbringer, Paladin of Helm and champion of Justice and Light. And, last but not least, Frodi the dimwitted barbarian, whom they had come across in town. And so, our heroes arrived at the crypt of Krah Del-Brecht, the Lich-king of Azzad-Maheer, but before they would brave the perils of the crypt, they set up camp to rest their weary bones from the long travel behind them. The mighty barbarian halfling did mightily swear and belch before shouting to the heavens. _

_"I'm short enough to peek underneath every girl's skirt!"_

"What?" Kaname shrugged. "Come on, that was funny. Admit it."

_After a long night's rest, our heroes stood in front of the dank, foreboding skull-like crypt. A huge stone door blocked their way, while the party craved the blood and the riches that lay inside. _

"Uh, question," a confused Nagisa broke in. "I have an staff 1. What does that mean?"

"Oh, it just means you get a bonus of 1 on all your attack rolls, simple is that," Takashi said.

"Okay," Nagisa said, only looking more confused. "And... Reflex save 3? What does that mean? I mean, what's 3? You either miss or hit, right?"

"It's a way of calculating," Takashi said. "You see, you roll a certain number and I roll against you behind the screen. Now, you may add 3 points to the number that you roll. If that total is higher than my roll, you make the save. If it's lower, you fail the save and receive damage."

"Okay, I get it." Nagisa replied. "So when do I get to buy a vowel again?"

"It's a FEAT, Nagisa-san, a FEAT! And you only get one when you level up and then only at certain levels," Kaname sighed. "Weren't you paying attention the first time he told us this?"

"Stop," Shizuma scowled while Nagisa pouted. "Kaname-san, she's trying. Back off."

There was a subtle but certain intensity in Shizuma's eyes and Kaname felt instantly chided by this silver-haired queen of queens. Kaname hated that Shizuma could correct her with a mere look and a cool edge in her voice. She felt compelled to retort.

"Shizuma-sama," Kaname narrowed her eyes. "We are no longer at Astraea Hill and you are no longer Etoile. I can voice my opinion."

"Certainly," Shizuma replied coolly. "But do try to remember that Nagisa is my wife."

"Shizuma," Nagisa put a hand on her wife's shoulder. "Thanks, but... it's okay. I made a mistake. I'll do better next time."

Shizuma nodded, but still narrowed her eyes at Kaname. "Alright. Let's continue with the game then."

Kaname seemed somewhat embarrassed: not only had she been corrected by Shizuma, she also had to bear the indignity of being defended by Nagisa of all people. She looked away, focusing on her character sheet.

"Okay," Nagisa spoke up. "I cast 'magic missile' at the door."

"Uh, okay," Takashi frowned.

_The magic collided with the door and fizzled out without so much as doing anything. _

"Oh," Nagisa pouted.

"Hey, I got an idea," Kaname said. "Roll for strength check!"

_And so, Frodi took a running start. Her mighty barbarian noggin collided with the door, shattering the locking mechanism completely. Together, the entire party, minus the dazed Frodi, managed to open the door and enter the antechamber of the crypt. The air was foul and dank, and in the distance, the party could hear moans and sounds of shambling. Surely, foul undead were nearby. _

"That's using your head," Momomi winked at Kaname.

"Okay," Shizuma said. "Hitomi plays some music to soothe the party's nerves and to boost their strength."

_And so Hitomi foolishly decided to play on her lute a song about the bravery of men of yore, certainly alerting the many undead lurking about to the presence of the party. In the distance they could hear the moans increase and the shambling becoming more frantic._

"Uh," Shizuma blushed under the enraged gazes of Kaname and Momomi. "Sumimasen."

"Nice going, Shizuma-sama," Momomi rolled her eyes.

"Oooh!" Nagisa went through her list of spells. "I cast Magic Torch."

_And so, the magic swirled around Mai's body, centering in her hand until she was holding a magical torch burning with an unnatural blue flame, illuminating the passage before them, leading into the dank, dark, stinky crypt. _

"Alright, I search the room," Momomi announced.

"Spot check, please," Takashi said, and Momomi rolled the d20. She watched the result and calculated the total. "23!"

"Yes, you find something," said Takashi. "You find a magic wand of Acid Splash. It has two forms of attack: 20-foot cone, 2d8 acid damage, reflex save DC 14 for half damage and the 30-foot ray, 4d8 acid damage, ranged touch attack with a to hit modifier of 2."

All players stared blankly at Takashi for a moment.

"Translation," Takashi grinned. "You can use it to hurt people."

"Ah," said Momomi

_And so the party encountered their fouls... the foul-smelling zombie-kobolds, lizardlike desiccated corpses standing three feet tall and looking hungry to the strip the flesh of their bones. While the party took their battle stance, Hitomi stayed at the back to boost morale with music. _

"Alright, combat everyone," Takashi said. "Kaname-san, you have the best initiative roll, you may make the first attack roll."

"I'll attack the zombie closest to Lightbringer," Kaname replied.

"Aw," Momomi smiled and lay her hand on Kaname's knee.

Kaname rolled and threw the d20. "17."

"Yes, you hit him. Now roll for damage."

"12."

"Yes, he's quite dead."

"Yes!" Kaname laughed. "I'm the coolest halfling ever! Take that, Elijah Wood!"

"Momomi-san, you may roll next."

"Oh, a 1. Is that good?"

"Uh, no," Takashi gulped. "That's a critical fail. You hit yourself. Roll for hit."

Momomi bit her lip and rolled again. "Oh, 20!"

"Critical threat," whistled Takashi, "roll to confirm."

"19."

"Confirmed! Now roll for damage."

"Uhm," Momomi calculated. "12."

"You scored a critical hit on yourself," Takashi offered an apologetic smile. "For double damage, so that's... 24 points down the hole."

"Crap," Momomi sighed.

"And the zombie... oh, attacks Lightbringer and... hits you... for... 15 points of damage."

"CRAP!" Momomi gritted her teeth. "I hate zombies."

_And so the mighty Paladin didst raise her mighty double-edged sword over her head to cleft his adversary in twain. Oh, doom! Oh, disaster! For yon paladin did ram the sword into her own back, spilling forth blood and gore... while the foul zombie sliced his claws across her chest, adding even more injury to her terrible wounds. Immediately, the brave bard Hitomi rushed up to the wounded paladin to offer the healing powers of her spells._

"Hm," Takashi said. "Shiz, you walked through the zombie horde and use the wand. That incurs about four attacks of opportunity. Lessee... first zombie misses... second zombie misses... third zombie misses. Man, I'm rolling sucky today. Fourth zombie... hits..."

_Hitomi deftly and mightily dodged her way through the pack of foul and unholy undead to where her wounded comrade lay. But doom! For the final zombie managed to land a blow that would certainly cripple the defenseless bard, were it not for the quick actions of the brave sorceress Mai. While launching spells, the selfless Mai threw herself in front of her beloved Bard, taking the full blood. Downed and grievously wounded, the sorceress sank to the ground, whimpering softly._

_"Mai!" Hitomi cried. "Mai, no!"_

_"I... cough I'm not dead yet, silly," Mai tried to laugh while the battle raged on. "I just couldn't let you take that blow..."_

_Hitomi said nothing, but instead crushed her lips to Mai's._

"Uhm, Shizuma-sama? We're trying to roleplay here?" Momomi frowned. On the other side of the table, Nagisa and Shizuma were embraced and lip-locked, kissing as if there was no tomorrow.

"You're distracting the dungeon master!" Kaname added sharply.

"I dunno," Takashi scratched his head. "I think they're roleplaying quite well."

"Wait a minute," Momomi frowned. "It wasn't Nagisa-san's turn yet. And it doesn't make any sense. Hitomi has three times the hitpoints that Mai has."

'Hitomi' and 'Mai' never heard the discussion, their attention was on each other and on each other alone.

* * *

"The wheels on the bus go round and round

Round and round, round and round

The wheels on the bus go round and round

All through town."

The song ended with a small applause from the children on the bus when Chikaru finished the song. Most of the children weren't skilled in English, but the language sounded exotic and cool to them.

On the bus were a total of ten children that were under her care. And under the care of Shion. The both of them had applied and had been accepted by the Teacher's Academy at the beginning of the semester. In fact, the Teacher's Academy was happy to have them both, because of Astraea Hill's excellent reputation.

Teaching was something that Chikaru had always been wanting to do and now she was getting the opportunity. She was also very happy to have Shion at her side. Though her life after Astraea Hill was very exciting, it was good to have the girl she loved so much close to her always.

Still, the both of them had a very different approach to teaching: Chikaru mostly trained on teaching younger children, focusing on offering playful guidance and gentle coaching. Shion's training, on the other hand, was meant for more older students, focusing on discipline and inspiring to excel. The both of them had very a different approach to teaching, which often led to interesting discussions.

When summer vacation came, Chikaru had signed on for a program which had been brought to life to treat children from poor families to a free summer holiday. Shion had signed on as well, also to be able to spend her summer holiday with her girlfriend. And Chikaru was grateful for it.

This whole thing was very exciting for Chikaru. She and Shion had the responsibility for the well-being of ten children, the youngest being six, the oldest being 13. She was allowed to design an activity program of her own choice, which was also very exciting.

She had quickly formed a bond with seven of the ten children. Three of the oldest students, all boys, two aged 13, one aged 12, were students she still had some trouble with. They were disobedient, sex-obsessed, tended to pick on the other children and were generally up to mischief. Fortunately, Shion knew how to keep them in line.

"Chikaru-sensei!" called Futuba, the youngest of the children, a spirited young girl with green hair. "Onegai! Another song. Another English song."

Chikaru thought for a moment. "Okay, I know another one," she said and took a deep breath.

"From the top of the swing-set,

all surrounded by sand,

I shot my old teacher,

with a green rubber band.

I shot her with pleasure,

I shot her with pride,

You just can not miss her,

She's 80 feet wide."

The kids giggled and fell in as Chikaru sung the song again. In the back of the bus, however, sat three boys, looking very bored. Keita, a black-shirted heavy metal fan with blue hair, sat at the window and sighed. Kira, a slightly overweight boy with purple hair was looking equally bored while Suguru, a black haired youth was fiddling with an old rubix cube.

"God, this is boring," Keita sighed. "Look at the retards singing their little hearts out. Oh, it's so cute. Makes me wanna hurl."

"Just ignore the kids," Suguru smiled. "We all know why we're here... Girls in bikinis, guys. Girls in bikinis."

"Chikaru-sensei," Kira said dreamily. "She's soooo hot. Do you think we'll get to see her in bikini?"

"I'd love to see her without one, rrrowwll," said Suguru.

"It's just not fair," Keita sighed. "Why do the retards get someone super-hot like Chikaru-sensei and we get stuck with a hard-ass like Shion-sensei?"

A little wad of paper hit Keita in the back of the head. "I heard that!" came from Shion, who sat in the back to keep an eye on the 'little delinquents'. It prompted the boys to speak a little more softly.

"Shion-sensei is pretty hot too," Suguru smiled to himself.

"Hey, guys," Kira whispered. "I just thought of something. If, like, real-life was, like, a Hentai game. Then Chikaru-sensei would so totally have sex with us!"

Keita blinked. And so did Suguru. "Uh, what?" Suguru blinked. "Come again."

"Just think about it. Girls in Hentai games would so go for us, they love thirteen year old boys!" Kira raved.

"You're just living in your own little dreamworld, aren't you?" Suguru sighed. "Of course Girls in Hentai games would go for us. Girls in Hentai games go for everybody! That's why they're Girls in Hentai games!"

"Exactly my point!" Kira said. "Chikaru-sensei'd so totally go for us if she were a Girl in a Hentai game!"

"Don't bet on it!" sounded from Shion. Three wads of paper flew through the air this time, and all hit their marks.

"She's right, you know?" Keita said. "I've heard rumors. I've heard that Shion-sensei and Chikaru-sensei are, like, lovers."

"What?!" Suguru blinked. "Really? That's awesome!"

"Yeah, really," Keita said. "They came from an all-girl school where every girl likes other girls."

"So, do you think they do it?" Suguru asked. "Like, doing it do it?"

Keita looked at Shion and then at Chikaru. "Of course they do! Hell, if I was Shion-sensei, I'd never leave the house. I'd be too busy having non-stop sex with Chikaru-sensei."

Kira, in the meantime, was looking very confused. "What? What are you talking about? Two girls can't have sex! You need, like, a penis to have sex."

Suguru and Keita groaned. "Kira," Suguru sighed. "You really are stupid. You're gonna be a virgin till you're fifty years old."

"Yes, I quite agree," sounded from Shion behind them. "Now, BE QUIET!"

In the front of the bus, Chikaru took another bow while the seven happy children applauded. "Oh, look outside the window. It's stopped raining... and there is the beach!"

Cheers sounded from the seven happy children, while Shion made her way to the front of the bus. "Okay, children," she said with a friendly, yet stern tone of voice. "When we get to the hostel, I want you to form up in an nice orderly queue behind Chikaru-sensei and calmly leave the bus. Then, I want you all to form a line next to the bus to get your luggage. And if I even get the slightest idea one of you is trying to cut in line, I will personally move you to the end of the line."

"Shion-koi," Chikaru smiled. "It's their holidays. Is it really necessary to..."

"Discipline is paramount, Sweetness," Shion told her girlfriend. "Remember," she told the children. "If there is a problem, you come either to me or to Chikaru-sensei. If you receive an order from either me or Chikaru-sensei, you will obey it. Under no circumstances is anyone to leave the group without notice and/or explicit permission from either myself or Chikaru-sensei. Our vacation will be most fun if we all follow these simple rules. Is that understood, children?"

"Hai!" said the seven cheerful younger children.

"And that especially goes for you three!" Shion stressed at the three teenage boys. The three boys seemed reluctant but agreed for now. The bus pulled into the parking lane, and their vacation was about to begin.

* * *

Back at the Ryokan, the gang was basking in the glory of just having defeated the lich-lord. It had been a tough fight, and it was touch and go there for a while. But in the end the adventurers were victorious.

"That was fun!" Nagisa said. "It's too bad Tamao-chan and Yaya-chan aren't here. They would love this game."

"I would think so," Shizuma nodded. "I don't know Yaya-san well enough, but Tamao-san seems the type to enjoy this sort of thing. Hm, what time is it?"

Momomi checked her watch. "Five o'clock! Wow, we've been playing for over seven hours! Completely missed lunch. And, hey, it's stopped raining."

"Yeah," Takashi said. "Dnd can make people lose track of time."

"Hey, guys," Nagisa smiled. "I've got a great idea! How about we go shopping for ingredients and we can make dinner together again. Come on, tell me that wasn't fun this morning."

Nagisa looked expectantly at the faces of Shizuma, Kaname, Momomi and Takashi.

And about two minutes later, a rather disappointed Nagisa was on her way making an errant to the nearest McDonalds.

* * *

Thanks for reading. More is on the way, but Yaya will be updated first. :)


	3. Chapter 3 : Invasion!

Hi everyone,

I apologize for the delay in getting his update out. This cool new game Bioshock has been taking up a lot of my time lately, and will probably affect the release schedule of Everybody Loves Yaya as well. But no worries, I remain comitted to both stories. In the meantime, he's a new part. I hope you'll like it.

Disclaimer: As usual, I don't own Stopani. I do, however, own a copy of Bioshock and a Masterpiece Megatron. :) A bit of a limey scene in this story, as well as some self-censored swear words placed in context.

* * *

**We're all going on a... summer holiday.**

**Chapter 3 : Invasion!**

As the day was progressing, many of the visitors of the beach retreated to one of the beach clubs at the edge of the woods. It offered frosty beverages, relaxation on comfortable wooden deck-chairs and, most of all, pleasant company for those gathered there.

At the very edge of the forest, mere meters away from the foliage, two muscular macho's both wearing sunglasses and a g-string that was painfully tiny, were flexing and grunting and generally doing their best to impress themselves upon the two females who stood near their deck chairs.

The females in question, one Kenjou Kaname and one Kiyashiki Momomi, were standing there talking amongst themselves, looking very unimpressed by the macho-men. Of course, seeing that they were both in bikini and each had a towel wrapped around their waists, was enough for the macho-men to keep trying.

"Seriously?" Momomi asked.

"Yes," Kaname spoke. "It's solar activity, you see? That and all the methane release over the past twenty years."

"The whole ozone layer, you say?"

"Yes," Kaname finished. "There's holes popping up everywhere, especially on hot days like this. And, to tell you the truth, the ozone layer's pretty weak as it is, even on a good day. It's pure solar radiation that's pouring down on our skins. I hope you remembered to bring suntan lotion."

Behind them, the two macho-men shifted uncomfortably.

"I do hear that skin-cancer is on the rise. Especially the aggressive kind," Momomi said. "Horrible, that. The treatment alone is said to reduce a healthy muscular man into a skin-on-bones skeleton on life-support."

The two macho-men behind them reached rather speedily for their sunscreen and started rubbing it across their pectorals.

"And that's not the worst of it," Momomi said. "Prolonged exposure to intense solar radiation causes impotence."

"Really?"

"Oh, yeah. Shrivels up like a raisin, I've heard."

That was it. The two macho-men got up quickly, gathered their belongings and headed inside the cafe as quickly as their overly muscular legs could carry them.

Kaname and Momomi shared a look, quickly picked up the two now vacant deck-chairs and, after making sure nobody was looking, dove into the forest, disappearing into the thick foliage. They quietly found a path back to their Ryokan, taking come time to cover their tracks to make sure nobody'd follow them. Eventually, they came back to the terrace behind their Ryokan, where there was a parasol and a drinks-table already set up. A lovely view of the empty private beach and the sea beyond greeted them.

Kaname and Momomi put the conquered deck-chairs underneath the parasol, took the towels from their waists, spread those over the chair, laid down and relaxed.

"That was just too easy. Macho-men are so predictable. No sport at all," Momomi said. "Frosty drink?"

"Yes, please," Kaname said while Momomi opened the icebox and took out two cans. "I can't believe a Ryokan like this doesn't have two lazy deck-chairs like these in storage."

"Should we get two more tomorrow?" Momomi asked.

Kaname shook her head. "If Shizuma-sama and Nagisa-san want deck chairs too, they can go steal them themselves."

* * *

"This is outrageous! This is scandalous! This is ridiculous! I will not accept this! You _WILL_ give us the rooms the agency booked for us!"

The receptionist gulped at the very intensity of the tiny blonde girl in front of her. Shion carried herself as if she was still president of Spica, and would suffer no fools gladly.

"Uhm, Toumori-san, as I tried to explain to you," he started.

"I don't want to hear it!" Shion shouted back. "I'm here with ten children who want to enjoy a carefree holiday, and you telling me you gave our already booked our rooms to other guests?! I demand that you give us the rooms our agency paid you for!"

The receptionist sighed. "That's just it, Toumori-san. We never received our payment, even after we tried to contact them several times. We had no choice, especially since the booking could not be confirmed. We have a business to run, I'm afraid, so I already freed the booked rooms and gave them to other guests."

Shion listened to the receptionist and felt as if she could strangle that lame-brained secretary that was in charge of booking at the Children's Holiday Charity Agency she and Chikaru were temping for. "Truly?" Shion asked. "Our payment never arrived?"

"I swear to you, Toumori-san," the receptionist spoke honestly. "If we had known you were already on your way, we would never have given away your rooms. But as it stands..."

"If money is the object," Shion pulled her wallet and removed her creditcard. "I am far from poor. I can certainly pay any fee you desire."

"Money isn't the issue, Toumori-san," the receptionist apologized. "We simply don't have any vacancies. I'm terribly sorry for all of this, and I will give you a list of child-friendly hotels in the city. Perhaps they will have good rooms free. I'm terribly sorry this has happened, Toumori-san. But believe me, there is no malicious intent."

Shion sighed and took the list after waiting for the receptionist to scribble a few words on a piece of paper. "I apologize for my outburst," Shion bowed gently.

"Quite understandable, Toumori-san," the receptionist said. "I wish you luck."

Shion headed outside, where Chikaru was doing her best to entertain the children with some silly story or another. Of course, the three hentai-sans were standing behind Chikaru and were trying to position a small make-up mirror in such a way that they could peek underneath her skirt. Shion deftly knocked the mirror out of their hands while passing and turned to Chikaru.

"Children," Shion spoke in a soft tone. "Chikaru-sensei and I need to speak for a moment."

Chikaru and Shion stood out of ear-shot of the children, but were positioned in such a way that Chikaru could keep a very good eye on them in case something would happen.

"No good," Shion sighed. "The rooms were booked, but never paid for. God, that baka Keiko-san at the agency, I swear I'm going to throw her out the window the next time I see her."

Chikaru was slightly concerned. "We have no hotel? But... the bus has already left. Can we find another hotel with at least five large rooms free on such short notice?"

"The receptionist gave me a list," Shion said. "Let's try calling all these hotels and see if they have any vacancies. I just hope the children won't notice."

Chikaru shook her head. "Oh, trust me, they know something's wrong. We need to distract them while we solve this problem. Look, there's a McDonalds over there."

Shion looked over her shoulder and saw the large yellow M looming in the distance. Right now, it might as well seem like an angel's halo. "Good idea. We'll distract them with food. You keep them busy and I'll call all the hotels. I just they have some rooms free."

Chikaru nodded and walked back to the children. "Kids," she said. "Change of plans. I know a lot of you are hungry from the long trip. How about we go to McDonalds first to get a bit to eat and then we'll go to our hotel. How do you like that idea?"

Thankfully, Chikaru's suggestion was hailed with a chorus of cheers.

"Alright," Chikaru smiled. "Mind your luggage then. Come on, let's go get something to eat."

* * *

_How dare they? How dare Sosa's goons storm her mansion. HER mansion? And there they were, all over the security monitors, shooting up the place, challenging her empire. Her already crumbling sanity was stretched to the limit._

_"So, you wanna play with me?" she shouted at the closed double doors of her office as the armed goons were approaching. "You wanna play rough?"_

_She cocked the M16 in her hands and prepared the grenade-launcher for action. "Say hello to my little friend!"_

_The grenade shot from the launcher and collided with the heavy double doors. A massive explosion sent splintered pieces of wood flying outward, shredding through the bodies of her attackers. The force of the explosion and the pieces of wood had neatly cleared a path, and she stepped forward, though the smoke, to face her attackers._

_"Die!" she shouted. "You whores! Die!"_

_A hail of bullets from her M16 dealt with two survivors on the double staircase. She stepped to the parapet, now shattered, and took aim at the few goons below. "I'm Momomi fkin' Montana! You wanna piece of me?!"_

_Momomi aimed the M16, a gun almost as big as she was, with deadly precision. The hail of bullets slammed into the walls, the floor and, most importantly, into the bodies of her enemies. Merciless in her blind rage, she kept firing and firing and firing._

_"You think you can take me?!" Momomi shouted to the downed goons, unfortunately unaware of the danger behind her. An assassin, black hair and black sunglasses, crept up to her, shotgun in hand, ever approaching while Momomi kept shooting at the goons in front of her._

_"You need a fkin' army, if you gonna take me!" Momomi shouted. "You hear? I'll take you all to fkin' hell!"_

_A loud gunshot behind her startled Momomi, causing her to turn around sharply. And there she found Kaname, her confidante and lover, standing over the body of a shotgun wielding assassin, the desert eagle in her hand still smoking._

_"Temper, temper, Momomi," Kaname teased. "You should watch your back a little more often."_

_"Why should I?" Momomi grinned. "I have you to watch it for me."_

_From the outside of the mansion, more shouts of goons working their way inside could be heard._

_"Hm," Kaname said. "Sounds like there's a bus load more out there."_

_"Let's go kick some ass, then," Momomi grinned as she reloaded her M16. "And then, we take the fight to Sosa herself!"_

_Kaname smirked. "My, my. Ambitious."_

_"Oh, yes," Momomi . "We won't stop until we've got Amane Sosa's head on a platter!"_

Momomi started awake when she heard someone approaching from inside the Ryokan. Looking around, she noticed she was still on the deck chair and guessed she'd fallen asleep due to the heat. She propped herself up somewhat and took a sip from her now lukewarm beverage.

"Pleasant dream?" Kaname asked.

"Oh, yes," Momomi smiled to herself. She noticed Kaname was reading in the deck chair next to her and that Takashi was sitting on a stone bench in the shade underneath a large tree.

The person she had heard coming was Shizuma, who shook her head as she entered the terrance and unceremoniously tossed her phone on the table near the bench. She sat down, leaned back and blew out a load of air. "It's just too damn hot for this," she sighed.

"Problem, Shiz?" Takashi smirked. "Are Nagisa-chan's parents trying to talk you into investing into their self-sealing stembolt proposal again?"

"Worse," Shizuma replied with a half-smile. "I was called and answered, expecting it to Nagisa's mother again. I was... slightly rude. Only slightly."

"Hm-hm," Momomi said, looking up from her magazine. "I believe you."

Shizuma raised one eyebrow. "Yes, I can hear the sincerity in your voice," she shook her head. "In any case, it wasn't my mother-in-law. Turned out it wasn't actually my mother-in-law. It was Miyuki. And I spent the next 15 minutes listening to a lecture about phone-politeness without ever getting the chance to get a single word in to apologize."

Kaname chuckled as she looked up from the Hellsing manga she was reading. "That sounds like her, alright. So, how is our happily married lesbian enjoying her neatly-arranged heterosexual farce? Is she knocked up yet?"

Shizuma's jovial mood darkened almost instantly. "Don't make fun," Shizuma whispered. "She's been forced into a loveless marriage. Oh, she tries to hide it from me, but I know her better than that. She's utterly, utterly miserable about it."

"Hah," Kaname snorted. "If she's too weak to stand up for what she wants, then she doesn't deserve to be happy. That's all what I have to say about it."

"Well," Shizuma replied sharply. "We can't all be Kenjou Kaname, now can we? And thank god for that. I don't think the world could handle more than one of you."

Kaname threw her head back and let out a friendly laugh. "Thankfully, there's only one of me. I'm the jealous type."

Momomi looked up from her magazine again and smirked. "Oh, I don't know. My... the things I could do with _two_ Kaname's. Hmmm, I'll be dreaming nice dreams tonight."

Takashi coughed heavily as he apparently choked on his soda. "Hookay," he blinked. "Time for a spectacular change of subject here. I wonder where Nagisa is with our food? She's been away for quite a bit now."

"Hm," Kaname said. "She'd better hurry up. We're left hanging at the Font of Darkness."

Takashi smiled. "You're quite eager to continue our game, aren't you? Kaname-san, wether you like it or not, you are more of a nerd than you care to admit to."

The air on the terrace suddenly became somewhat chillier when Kaname fixed Takashi with an icy stare. "And I am telling you, Takashi-san, that I am not a nerd. I beat up nerds. I am the anti-nerd."

Takashi smirked. "Oh? Let's put it to the test, then, shall we?"

Shizuma and Momomi sat up a little straighter suddenly, fixing their eyes on Kaname. The short-haired ex-Spican became acutely aware that there was no turning back now. And she wasn't planning to. Kaname lived for challenges, after all.

"Takashi's patented nerd-test consists of three questions, two concentrating on random nerd-culture and one on your own particular fandom," Takashi said, sitting on the foot-end of Kaname's deck chair while Shizuma and Momomi looked on with interest.

"Alright," Kaname frowned. "Ask your questions. I will prove to you that I'm not a nerd."

"Okay, if you want to pass by me, you must answer questions three," Takashi grinned.

"Spare me the Monty Python references and get started already," Kaname sighed.

"Hm, knows Monty Python. Score one."

"Nani?"

"Nothing. Question the first. What is Captain Picard's favorite blend of tea?"

Kaname shook her head. "Come on, it's Earl Grey. But that question doesn't prove anything, because everybody knows _that_!"

Momomi scratched her head. "I didn't know that."

"Captain Picard?" Shizuma thought for a moment. "He's the bald guy with the spaceship, right? Or was he the one with the wig?"

Kaname crossed her arms. "Oh, come on, you're playing around with me here. Everybody knows the answer to this question."

Momomi shrugged. "Alright. Whatever you say. Next question, Takashi-kun."

"Hai!" Takashi smiled, and an even so slight blush could be seen on his cheeks as Momomi spoke his name. "Kaname-san. Name your favorite Transformer."

Kaname chuckled. "That's a stupid question. It's Megatron, obviously."

Shizuma and Momomi exchanged a look, making Kaname slightly concerned. Takashi nodded. "Right, score three."

"Wait a minute!" Kaname protested sharply. "What do you mean, score three?!"

Momomi shrugged. "Kaname, I believe the correct non-nerdly answer to that question would have been _'What's a Transformer and why should I care?'_"

Kaname rubbed her temples while she sighed heavily. "Alright, alright, already! Last question, then."

"Alright," Takashi started. "This one is related to Weird Al. Name as many objects that the protagonist of Weird Al's song 'Hardware Store' can buy in, well, the hardware store."

Kaname realized she was trapped between a rock and a hard place. If she were to answer this question, it would undoubtedly lead to indignity and ridicule. But on the other hand, Takashi had challenged her by this question. A challenge in her own ballpark, even. And if there was one thing Kaname simply couldn't let unanswered, it was a challenge.

She sighed heavily. "Alright. They've got allen wrenches, gerbil feeders, toilet seats, electric heaters, trash compactors, juice extractors, shower rods, water meters, walkie-talkies, copper wires safety goggles, radial tires, BB pellets, rubber mallets, fans, dehumidifiers, picture hangers, paper cutters, waffle irons, window shutters, paint removers, window louvers, masking tape, plastic gutters, kitchen faucets, folding tables, weather stripping, jumper cables, hooks and tackle, grout and spackle, power foggers, spoons and ladles, pesticides for fumigation, high-performance lubrication, metal roofing, water proofing, multi-purpose insulation, air compressors, brass connectors, wrecking chisels, smoke detectors, tire gauges, hamster cages, thermostats, bug deflectors, trailer hitch demagnetizers, automatic circumcisers, tennis rackets, angle brackets, duracells and Energizers, soffit panels, circuit brakers, vacuum cleaners, coffee makers, calculators, generators and matching salt and pepper shakers," she said, falling silent and closing her eyes. When she opened them again, she saw all Shizuma, Takashi and even Momomi looking at her with a stunned expression.

"T-that's _all _of them," Takashi said, looking at a list of lyrics he'd asked Momomi to download from the web on her laptop. "And in the correct order."

"That doesn't prove anything," Kaname challenged. "I just listen to that song a lot and memorized the lyrics. That doesn't make me a nerd."

"I dunno, this is pretty conclusive," Takashi bit his lip. "And memorizing lyrics is very, very nerdy."

Shizuma spoke up before Kaname could launch an angry retort. "Takashi-kun? What did you say that symbol on the shirt Kaname-san was wearing this morning was?"

Takashi turned to Shizuma. "It was the USB-logo."

"That doesn't prove anything!" Kaname narrowed her eyes. "I just like that shirt! It has nice fabric. And it was a gift from Momomi! I... AM... _**NOT**_... A NERD!!"

That said, Kaname stomped off into the Ryokan and, judging from the noise inside, she kicked a small cabinet across the room as she passed the common room.

"I should go see to her," Momomi said. "She'll be sulking in her room. Don't worry, she'll be less aggressive as soon as she gets some food in her stomach."

* * *

Nagisa didn't have a hard time finding the local McDonalds. The M in the horizon was easy enough to follow, and beckoned her like the northern star. There was no sign that it had rained this morning, and Nagisa was trying to survive the smoldering heat. She wore a thin shirt, short pants, sunglasses and a sunhat, but it did little to cool her down. She promised herself the first thing she'd do when she'd get to her destination, was to buy a nice ice-filled soda.

Indeed, images of nice cold ice-filled soda's of every kind started floating in front of her eyes.

She walked along the beach and all around her, people were enjoying the sun and the sea. Kids were running, women were playing volleyball and the odd otaku was actually getting some daylight in. The McDonalds in question was located at the edge of the beach and by the look of things, the busiest part of the shop was the icecream stand outside.

Nagisa entered McDonalds and was delighted to find that the store was air-conditioned. As McDonalds is go, this estabilishment resembled the other one million McDonalds stores around the globe: fake, plastic and properly eye-sorey. She walked to the counter and greeted the bored looking teenager serving customers.

"Uh, good day, madam," Nagisa greeted as she fumbled with a note. "I'd like to order take-away for me and my friends."

"Certainly, miss," the clerk smiled her best plastic smile. "How can I help you?"

"Uh, I'd like french fries, a piece of apple-pie and a milkshake. Shizuma would like a Big Mac and a Pepsi," Nagisa started.

"Diet?"

"No, just regular, please. Shizuma doesn't like Diet Pepsi," Nagisa replied. "Momomi-san would like a Salad-burger and a Seven-Up Light. Kaname-san would like a serving of Chicken McNuggets and a milkshake. Takashi-kun wants a Double Big Mac, a Double cheeseburger, triple order of Chicken McNuggets, double french fries with extra ketchup. Oh, and extra mayonnaise on everything. He also wants a big Pepsi Gulp and two Seven-Ups."

"For one person?"

Nagisa shrugged. "He says he has a fast metabolism. Oh, and I'd like a nice icy soda while I wait."

"Ya want some flies with that? Uh, sorry, I meant fries."

Nagisa paid for her purchases, and took a seat near one of the windows. She sucked in some ice-cold soda through a straw and immediately felt a dull ache in her forehead. Normally, she'd be worried by that, but today it was a feeling she welcomed, oddly enough.

Her attention was drawn to a group of kids in the corner, especially when she heard a familiar voice.

"Sumiyoshi-kun," sounded the gentle voice of Chikaru. "Those fries belong to Chieko-chan. You have your own fries, Sumiyoshi-kun."

Nagisa noticed Chikaru sitting at a table nearby the children and got up to greet her friend, but when she got closer she noticed that Chikaru was looking sort of worried. It was Chikaru, however, who spotted Nagisa first. Worry briefly faded from her gentle features.

"Nagisa-chan?" she beamed. "Hello! How are you? Please, sit down with me..."

"Chikaru-chan," Nagisa greeted gently as she sat down facing Chikaru and briefly held her hand. "It's been too long. What are you doing here?"

"It's good to see a friendly face around here. It's... JURI-chan! That's not how you eat fries," Chikaru spoke friendly, yet forcefully. "Juri-chan, ask yourself a question: _Am I a walrus?_"

Juri, a plucky nine-year old with red hair, sheepishly removed the fries from her mouth and put them back on her plate.

Chikaru smiled gently. "That's better, Juri-chan. Nagisa-chan, it's good to see you here."

Nagisa looked at the table where all the eating children were seated. "Are these yours, Chikaru-chan?"

Chikaru smiled. "Well, in a way. You see..."

It took Chikaru a while to explain what was going on. Nagisa already knew that Chikaru was attending the Teacher's Academy with Shion, so Chikaru told her a little about her courses, but mostly about the project she was attached to now, and the problems they were having finding rooms for the ten children under her care. Chikaru pointed to the window, and outside the McDonalds, she could see Shion talking on her cellphone. Rather animated at that.

"... that's why we're a bit concerned," Chikaru sighed. "The bus is already gone, and we still haven't found any rooms for the children to stay. I just hope Shion-koi can..."

Just then, Shion walked back into the store, clicking off her cellphone as she did so. From her expression, the girls could conclude that she hadn't had much luck.

"Nagisa-san," Shion greeted. "A good day to you."

Nagisa smiled. She didn't know Shion very well personally, but she had heard nothing but good things about her from Chikaru, and had seen them together many times during their last year at Astraea Hill. Though her mood hadn't improved, Shion offered Nagisa a kind nod before her face fell again.

"Shion-koi," Chikaru asked worriedly.

"No good," Shion sighed. "Every single hotel is booked full. Just our luck. Us Japanese have the least amount of free days of the entire world, and yet we all took our days off and booked hotels in this region it seems. I'm so sorry, Sweetness, I can't find a hotel for us."

Nagisa really felt for Shion. Reading her expression, Nagisa could really see that Shion was thinking that she had failed her beloved Chikaru.

Chikaru, in turn, looked as if she was about to cry. Not for herself, but for the children. "The bus has already left, so we can't go to another town. And there's no more hotels here. And to think we'll be disappointing children who have never had a holiday in their entire lives... We can't let them down, we just can't! Oh, god, what are we doing to do, Shion-koi?"

Shion took Chikaru's hand and gently rubbed it, before laying her other hand on Chikaru's shoulder. "Don't worry, Sweetness. We'll figure something out. I won't accept defeat in this. Maybe... if I try again, I could convince... Or maybe... Just maybe..."

A smile crossed Nagisa's gentle features as she came up with a brilliant idea. Oddly enough, a lightbulb spontaneously blinked on above her head at the same time. "Huh?" Nagisa looked up.

"Sorry," shouted the teenager from behind the counter. "I've been meaning to get that light fixed."

"Chikaru-chan, Shion-sama," Nagisa spoke. "I have an idea. I happen to know a Ryokan with plenty of free rooms."

* * *

"Hi!" Nagisa called out as she entered the Ryokan.

No answer.

"Hello?" Nagisa called out again.

Silence.

"I've brought food!"

Immediately, footsteps could be heard coming from upstairs and from outside.

As Nagisa entered the common room and put down the food on the table, she just caught the sight of Shizuma clicking off her phone as she entered from outside.

"Shizuma?" Nagisa asked.

"Ah, welcome back, Nagisa," Shizuma smiled. "Back with our food?"

"Hai!" Nagisa announced cheerfully and pointed at the table. "Was that my mother calling you again?"

Shizuma shook her head. "It was my cousin Kouta. He just wanted to talk. It was about Lucy. She's gone berserk again."

Nagisa frowned. "Oh, no. What did she destroy this time?"

"A bus," Shizuma sighed. "And all the nuns that were in it at the time."

"Ouch," Nagisa blinked. "I don't get it. What does Kouta-san see in her?"

"It's love," Shizuma smiled. "Oh, and they're planning to visit us in autumn."

"EEEEEEEHH?!" Nagisa trembled. "But... Lucy-san is so scary!"

Shizuma smiled and touched Nagisa's cheek. "It won't be for long. Don't worry."

Momomi and Kaname were the next to enter and threw themselves on the bag with food. Takashi soon followed and checked the bag for his massive evening meal. "Ah, thanks, Nagisa-chan," he said. "After I eat, I'll be out of your hair. Looking to pick up some chicks of the non-lesbian variety."

Shizuma smirked at him. "Do those even exist?"

"Not in Japan," Takashi winked. "Are you really surprised our population growth is in decline? No, no, I've got my hopes set on Australian backpackers and European tourists walking around this beach."

Nagisa remained standing while everybody sat down to eat. Shizuma noticed this quickly enough. "Nagisa?" she asked. "Is something wrong?"

"Well, uh," Nagisa figited slightly with the hem of her shirt, which was to Shizuma a sure sign that something was going on. "You see, um, there's something I have to tell you..."

Kaname and Momomi almost started when they saw Chikaru, Shion and seven children entering the common room. The children stood in a neat row and were generally looking sad and hopeful.

"Mina-san," Chikaru greeted. "Konichiwa."

"Greetings," Shion added, while the children bowed politely.

For a moment, Shizuma, Kaname and Momomi were stunned. Not because of the odd situation, but because for all of them, it was the first time they had seen Shion not wearing her tell-tale Spican uniform. Instead she was wearing a simply yellow shirt, black shorts, sneakers and a white sun-hat, while her nose was adorned with a while dollop of sunscreen.

"Oh, hello," Takashi greeted, activating his suave flirtation mode on Chikaru.

"Taken!" Shion narrowed her eyes and hooked her arm around Chikaru.

"Drat," Takashi sighed. "Lesbians all around me..."

Chikaru blushed slightly. "Thanks for thinking of me, though."

Shizuma greeted Chikaru and Shion and, not surprisingly, asked what was going on. Chikaru told the whole tale, how there were no rooms for them to go to and how Nagisa had asked them to come here.

"I just figured there was plenty of room here," Nagisa said. "We only use three rooms and there's over thirty available! I thought it wouldn't do any harm to at least ask you guys if they could stay here."

Kaname growled. "BAKA!" she shouted at Nagisa. "Why do you think we came here? We came here for peace and quiet. And now you bring in some mewing brats? Why don't you start picking up stray puppies and kittens, while you're at it!"

"I promise you won't even notice we're here!" Chikaru was quick to point out. "We'll take rooms on the other side of the Ryokan and we'll be out all day."

"We have nowhere else to go," Shion added softly. "I'm asking you this, as a favor..."

"We are not in Spica anymore and you are not our council president," Momomi said sharply.

Shion shook her head and turned to Kaname and Momomi directly. "A favor not to me, but to those children. Please, just this once... don't only think of yourselves."

There was a stalemate in the air. Nobody spoke a word until Shizuma stepped forward.

"The way I see it," Shizuma said. "It's Takashi's decision, not ours. It's his Ryokan."

"It is?" Takashi frowned. "Oh, yeah, it is! But then again, this vacation belongs to all of us. I say we put it to a vote. All those in favor of the kids staying here, raise their hands."

Nagisa and Shizuma raised their hands immediately, and then Kaname knew she had won. She and Momomi would both vote against and she knew that the lovesick fool Takashi would follow Momomi's vote. Three against two for peace and quiet.

"Wait a minute," Shion called. "Where are those three little... Oh, bloody hell. I'll be back," she said, excused herself and left the room to go outside.

But then it happened. The youngest child, little Futuba stepped forward. The tiny girl went to Shizuma first, and handed her a flower she had folded from a piece of paper. Nagisa was next, and then Takashi. And Momomi. She stood in front of Momomi, handing her the flower and looking at her with big sad chibi eyes. "Whatever you decide," she whispered. "Thank you for at least considering taking us in."

Kaname watched Momomi and shook her head when she saw the look in her lover's eyes: Momomi's resolve was crumbling.

"Momomi," Kaname whispered. "NO!"

"I'm sorry, Kaname," Momomi whispered regretfully and started raising her hand. As predicted, Takashi followed Momomi, settling the vote four to one in favor. A chorus of cheers and a relieved smile from Chikaru followed swiftly.

"A gift," Futaba offered Kaname an origami flower. Kaname couldn't help but notice that the little girl's expression had changed from cute and innocent to victorious and smug. Kaname snatched the flower from her hands and returned to her food. That was something that went her way, at least.

"Alright," Shion shouted as she re-entered the Ryokan. "Inside, you little hentais!"

"Shion-koi!" Chikaru offered excitedly. "We can stay here."

"I'm not staying at this dump!" Keita scoffed as the three boys joined the other children, neatly herded inside by Shion.

"Yeah, me neither!" Kira whined. "Find us someplace else. There's nobody at the beach here."

But their attitudes changed as soon as they entered the common room and saw the occupants. Or, at least, one of the occupants.

"Oh, wow," said Keita. "Oh, wowiewowiewow!"

"Look..." Suguru gasped

"At those..." Kira whispered.

"Boobs..." Keita grinned stupidly.

Shizuma frowned when she noticed the three young boys were apparently looking straight at her... and drooling.

"Okay guys," Keita smiled dreamily.

"Option A : Greet her cheerfully and introduce yourself.

Option B : Introduce yourself and ask her out for a date.

Option C : Drag her into a broomcloset and jam it in."

"Option C!" Suguru exclaimed.

"C! C! C!!" Kira yelled.

Shizuma shifted uncomfortably as she felt three sets of eyes roaming over her body, apparently going in and out of her clothes. She felt herself being undressed, dressed into a maid's outfit, undressed again, dressed up as a catgirl, undressed again, dressed up as a spacehero, undressed again, dressed into an S&M leather bodysuit, undressed again, dressed up as an obedient sex-bot, undressed again, dressed into a schoolgirl's sailor suit and finally ending up undressed again. She instinctively covered her bosom with her arms.

"Doggy," Suguru said dreamily.

"Missionary," Kira drooled.

"Cowgirl," Keita dreamed away.

All this teenage drooling didn't go by Kaname or Nagisa unnoticed, which hard to do since there was a hormone overload in the air. Kaname snickered and nudged a worried Nagisa. "Remember, Nagisa-san. This was _your _idea."

"EEEEEH?!" Nagisa moved next to Shizuma, hooked her arm through that of her wife possessively and glared at the boys. It didn't quite work out as expected, though.

"Wow," Keita sighed. "THREESOME!"

"Two girls!" Kira swooned. "Wow, she's so hot too..."

"That's it, we're not moving," Suguru spoke adamently.

"Yeah, we're staying here," Keita crossed his arms defiantly.

"This is the greatest place on Earth!" Kira leered, looking at Shizuma, but never in the eyes.

Kaname grinned and remained in the background, making sure that Nagisa and Shizuma acted as a hormone-shield before she and Momomi would receive the same treatment. And, as predicted, Shizuma's breasts acted as the perfect lightning rod. As far as the boys were concerned, the only things in the room were them and Shizuma's boobs.

Shion broke the spell by hitting all three boys in the back of the head with one single flowing slap. "Don't even think about it, boyo's! Don't let me catch you peeking either, or I swear there'll be hell to pay. Quite literally!"

As Shion dragged the boys off by the ears, Takashi turned to Chikaru. "Come on," he said, "let's go get you and those kids settled in. There are some really nice rooms in the western wing. I'll show you. It's close to the pool too."

"Hai," Chikaru turned back to Takashi and his friends and bowed deeply. "Arigato gozaimasu, my friends. I will not forget this. One day, I promise I will repay the favor to all of you."

Shizuma let herself plop down on the couch and reached for her burger and cola.

"Now I know what a side of beef at the butcher's shop feels like," Shizuma muttered under her breath.

"Ah, yes," Kaname couldn't help but gloat. "Horny boys, alone in their rooms at night, thinking of you. Just imagine what'll happen..."

Shizuma shuddered. "I really don't want to think about it, Kaname-san. And do you mind? I'm trying to eat here."

"How so?" Kaname shrugged. "No doubt you've been the subject of many a night's fantasy back at Astraea Hill."

"Yes, but... those were _girls_," Shizuma said. "That's different."

"Yes, well," Kaname smirked. "Just think... when you're all alone with your Nagisa in your room at night, you shouldn't be surprised if your inspiringly gorgeous image will give birth to the sound of hundreds upon hundreds of bananas being peeled very rapidly in the room next to you. Then, think of Kaname. Think how she tried to keep this place peaceful, but you yourself overruled her. Think of that when you find all those tissues in the trashcan the next day."

Shizuma narrowed her eyes. "You're really enjoying this, aren't you?"

"Excrutiatingly so, Shizuma-sama," Kaname laughed. "Hm, maybe I was wrong about letting those kids stay here. I'm already having so much fun."

* * *

Chikaru had been true to her word. So far, the children had not been heard nor had they been a nuisance. The five of them had been able to continue their DnD game in the afternoon and after Takashi had left to hit the town, they had decided to go to bed. The night was balmy yet thankfully also cooler than the nights before.

Nagisa shifted to one side and rolled on her stomach as she lay in her bed, while Shizuma was still brushing her hair as she sat cross-legged next to the bed. As was tradition at Ryokan's, the bed was on the floor, yet very comfortable.

"I hope those boys'll behave," Nagisa said to Shizuma.

"I'm sure they will," Shizuma replied. "I suppose it's kind of flattering."

"Hm?" Nagisa pushed her head against the pillow. "That's not what you said earlier. I distinctly heard you saying the word 'castration' when two of them tried to peek in while you were in the bathroom."

Shizuma nodded. "I suppose they're a bit overzealous. Then again, so were some of the girls at Miator."

"Oh?"

"Oh, yes," Shizuma smiled. "There was one girl Mio who followed me around for twelve hours straight, until Miyuki caught on and sent her away rather harshly. Then there was another girl Youko who stole my swimsuit while I was dressing after swim-class when I was a fourth-year. And there was this Lulim girl called Aki who kept taking pictures of me until she had her entire room decorated with my face. Compared to them, three over-sexed little boys aren't so frightening."

Nagisa chuckled. "Those girls... Weren't there any girls that did catch your interest there?"

"Sure," Shizuma replied. "Many girls. Many _normal non-obsessive_ girls But those... Those were just girls. And you're Nagisa. And there lies the difference."

Nagisa smiled at the compliment and turned around to lie on her back... and was immediately taken in by the sheer beauty that was Shizuma. The nightshift that she had been wearing mere seconds ago now lay on the floor next to the bed and Shizuma was looking down upon her, propping herself up above her wife. She had a naughty twinkle in her eye which Nagisa had seen many times before.

Nagisa threw her head back and closed her eyes when Shizuma bent down until she was hovering just above her and gently blew across Nagisa's flesh. Nagisa shuddered slightly when Shizuma's long silky soft hair poured across her skin, only adding to the overdose of sensation.

It was as if tiny sparks of electricity shot back and forth between them when Shizuma pressed her body against Nagisa's, only to culminate when Shizuma softly kissed Nagisa. But Nagisa was no longer the passive young girl she used to be when she and Shizuma had first made love.

Paying Shizuma's love back in full, Nagisa gently party Shizuma's lips with her tongue. Their tongues met halfway, the beginning of a deep soul-searching kiss. Passion ran ever higher as Nagisa's hands started roaming across Shizuma's naked body, until she was cupping one of her wife's soft breasts with one hand, while running the other through an ocean of silver hair.

After Shizuma broke the kiss, she impatiently tugged at Nagisa's nightshift. Nagisa took the hint and allowed her wife to lift the nightshift over her head. Shizuma grinned wolfishly as she nonchalantly scrunched up the nightshift in a little ball and tossed it across the room with a flick of the wrist.

Shizuma and Nagisa lay facing each other on their sides for a moment, taking in the sight of each other for a moment.

"My Shizuma," Nagisa whispered softly.

"Nagisa," Shizuma smirked and motioned to Nagisa's phone. "If your mom calls now, I'm going to kill her."

"If my mom calls now," Nagisa replied. "I'm going to _let_ you kill her."

A brief giggle later, the two lovers embraced tightly. And while Nagisa took a quick moment to switch off her phone just in case, Shizuma had already started on giving Nagisa what would be rather impressive hickey on the nape of her neck. Their lovemaking intensified until only two people existed in the entire world as far as they were concerned.

There were times that Nagisa still couldn't believe that this woman who held her in her arms tonight was hers. But during moments like this, it was so obvious to Nagisa that the gorgeous, intelligent and often still mysterious Shizuma belonged to her, mind, body and soul.

It would be a long time before they would get any sleep tonight.


	4. Chapter 4 : Poor Nagisa

Hello everyone. It took me a while, but the new Summer Holiday is here. Hope you like it!

Disclaimer : I don't own a bloody thing. I don't own non-bloody things either.

* * *

**We're all going on a... summer holiday**

**Chapter 4 : Poor Nagisa**

_Shizuma lay on the ground, her entire body aching from the violent toss against the wall from the monster standing in front of her. No doubt there'd be a nice Shizuma-sized imprint in the wall behind her, but right now she couldn't care less._

_Her vampiric senses detected the telltale signs of blood in the air nearby. A faint pang of hunger mixed with dread and revulsion at her own uncontrollable urges. For the blood belonged to her team-mates, who had just been viciously slaughtered by the enemy vampire she was now facing alone._

_And hideous he was: an almost skeletal thin gray-skinned vampire, 'Terror from the Dark Continent' as her master had called him. His laughter was as grating as a siren as he looked at her with one orange deformed eye._

_Shizuma knew she had no chance. Her gun, Harkonnen, lay far beyond her reach. And he had slaughtered her twelve human team-mates as if he was blowing out a candle. She was far too young and too powerless to stand up to this terror, but she sure as Hell was going to try. She owed it to her team-mates._

_Her entire body ached as she forced herself to stand up. The vampire, Incognito, let out another mocking laugh._

_"Go to your grave, then, little Draculina," he grated. Shizuma was repulsed when the vampire's flesh crawled and churned. A few moments later, a grenade-launcher attached to a ring within his flesh with golden chains, exploded from his arms. The vampire Incognito aimed the vicious weapon at her and grinned._

_Shizuma was certain the Final Death would embrace her soon, when she suddenly heard a light mocking laughter from the distance... and there she was. Eyes and hair as red as the long billowing coat she wore, the light reflecting off her fangs as she wore that perpetual savage grin._

_"Hm-hm," she spoke softly as she approached. "Wasting your time with small fry now, Incognito. Tsk, tsk. A Class-A vampire should have more dignity."_

_Shizuma didn't know if she should feel insulted by this, but she was happy her master was here. Judging from her expression, Shizuma was certain that her master was enjoying this. Her master's life often lacked challenge, and fighting a vampire of Incognito's caliber would be most enjoyable for her._

_"Yes," her master grinned. "Call forth your servant demons! Give me your fiercest fangs, your sharpest claws, your darkest powers! Such amusement... such fun... Hurry... Hurry... HURRRRRYYY!"_

_Shizuma wondered what she would be like if she were to live as long as her master had. Hopefully, she would find out one day. One thing, she knew for certain, though: life eternal was nothing if she could spend it at her master's side._

_Her undead heart almost started beating again when her master gave her the most simplest of glances._

_"Stay out of this, Shizuma," she commanded harshly._

_"Y-yes, Asigan-sama," Shizuma gushed. "My Master..."_

Shizuma started awake and found herself lying on a lazy chair back on the back terrace of their Ryokan, in the middle of the day. Nagisa and Shizuma were making use of the two deckchairs which Kaname and Momomi had swiped the other day. Shizuma, in her light summer dress, lay stretched out on her back, relaxing, while Nagisa lay on her stomach, apparently asleep. Protecting them from the sun was, of course, the sunscreen which both girls had lovingly and enthusiastically applied to one another, and the large parasol which neatly shaded both deckchairs. Between them stood a pitcher of cold water and two glasses on a wooden table.

On Shizuma's side still lay the manga she had been reading. It was Hellsing. '_That's it'_, Shizuma thought as she put the manga away. _'No more reading Takashi's mangas for you, Shizuma_.'

Fortunately, Nagisa was still her gentle kind self, though Shizuma had to suppress the urge to check Nagisa and herself for fangs... the dream had been so vivid.

She decided to concentrate on something else, that being the sounds of laughter from nearby. A few yards away, Shion, Chikaru and the kids were playing beach volleyball. She looked up just in time to see Shion making a wild dive for the ball. The tiny blonde managed to hit the ball and get it up to the air, at the cost of a mouth and a bikini-top filled with sand. Young Sumiyoshi managed to get the ball across the net and the game continued while Shion picked herself up and spit out the offending sand.

So far, the teams were evenly matched. Chikaru has invited her and Nagisa to join them, but they had decided to lazy about with a cold drink for a bit first. Still, the game looked like fun and Shizuma reckoned she should join in soon.

The sound of a cellphone disturbed their peace and quiet. A lazy Nagisa started awake, felt over the table to locate her phone, and clicked it on. "Tamao-chan? Are... Oh, hello, mom. No, no, I was just expecting a call from Tamao-chan. Hm? I don't know. I think Shizuma has her phone switched off."

Next to her, Shizuma groaned in disgust.

"Uhm," Nagisa started carefully and handed Shizuma the phone. "She wants to talk to you."

Shizuma cursed under her breath, snatched the phone from Nagisa's hands, switched it off and dunked it into the pitcher of water. She calmly lay back on the chair and resumed her peaceful lazying.

"Eeeeeehhh?!" Nagisa wailed and quickly made a grab for her phone.

"There," Shizuma said as she leaned back on the deckchair as if nothing had happened. "Problem solved."

"That was my phone, Shizuma," Nagisa said, a touch of anger in her voice while checked her now waterlogged phone. "My pictures were on there, my e-mails, Tamao-chan was supposed to be calling me today... I just hope it still works."

Shizuma shrugged. "It's okay, sweetie. If it's broken, I'll just buy you a new one, and..."

"You don't get it, do you?" Nagisa sighed. "First of all, let's not forget that it was MY phone you probably just destroyed! Second, buy it with what? You don't have any money right now... and when you do have money, you just can't solve everything just by throwing a wad of cash at it."

"N-nagisa," Shizuma frowned. She was a bit stunned: it didn't happen often that they had a disagreement, let alone a fight.

"I know I've been riding on your trust fund as well, Shizuma, and I truly enjoy the trips with you and all your gifts," Nagisa admitted, "but I've come to a decision. When we get back home, I'm going to look for a job."

Shizuma shook her head. She sat up and laid her hands on her wife's shoulders. "Nagisa, we've talked about it before. You don't need to get a job."

"No, it won't need it for the money," Nagisa shook her head. "But I need it for me. For myself. And maybe you should think about getting a job too, Shizuma. I love you, but maybe it'll be good for you to get a job. Then you'll know what it's like to actually earn money, rather than getting a big bundle of cash every month just because your family name happens to be Hanazono."

Nagisa stomped off, shaking her phone about to see if it still worked, and left a brooding Shizuma sitting in the deckchair.

"My, my," Kaname chuckled as she emerged from the bushes. "Trouble in paradise?" she smirked.

Shizuma narrowed her eyes. "Do you often hone in on other people's private conversations?"

"All the time," she chuckled. "It's perfect for obtaining quality black-mail material. Though in this case, I must say my respect for Nagisa-san has increased. It takes guts to stand up to you."

Shizuma sighed as she sat up in her deckchair. "No," Shizuma replied. "She's right. That's the worst of it."

"Not all of us are born with a silver spoon in our mouths," Kaname laid down on the chair where Nagisa had been lying just a few moments ago.

"You and I were," Shizuma replied. "And perhaps Nagisa is right in saying that we have a different view of the world around us."

"Hm," Kaname snorted. "So, does the fact that she's middle-class give her right to dictate how everybody else is supposed to see and treat the world around them? That's so cute."

Shizuma shook her head. "I don't know," Shizuma said. "Perhaps she has a point when she says I don't know what it's like to earn money. I keep spending like crazy and the money just keeps getting delivered to my doorstep every month."

"Oh, and you haven't earned that?" Kaname replied. "What makes you think so? Your family has toiled for generations to attain the level of power and wealth they have today. Why should you not have the right to enjoy the spoils of those struggles?"

Shizuma sighed. "Maybe you're right. But Nagisa has a point as well."

Kaname shook her head. "I don't understand, Shizuma-sama. What do you see in her?"

"She's my Nagisa," Shizuma smiled to herself. "She's unique."

"She's just a girl," Kaname replied harshly. "There are thousands like her."

"Are there thousands of girls like Momomi-san?"

Kaname smirked. "Touche. Well played, Shizuma-sama. Let us, for the sake of argument, state that your Nagisa is just as unique as my Momomi. But that still doesn't answer my initial question."

"There's so many reasons why Nagisa is a very special girl," Shizuma replied. "She's very open-minded and there's room in her heart for everybody."

"Oh?" Kaname smirked. "So she's naive?"

"I did not say that!" Shizuma retorted with a hint of anger in her voice. "I meant to say that she's non-judgmental and is kind to others regardless how they act towards her."

"Hm," Kaname chuckled. "So she's a simpleton? A simpleton with no opinion of her own? Do you like your girls dumb, Shizuma-sama?"

Shizuma looked away. "You have overstepped the boundaries of polite conversation, Kaname-san."

"I apologize," Kaname laid back and relaxed. "I was simply giving my opinion."

"You were not giving your opinion, you were twisting my words," Shizuma replied sharply.

"One and the same," Kaname shrugged.

"Nagisa is the kind of girl you slave for in the kitchen, struggling with ingredients and crockery to surprise her with an omelet in bed just as she wakes up," Shizuma replied. "Have you ever done something like that for Momomi-san?"

"Hm," Kaname replied. "You have me there. No, I never made Momomi breakfast in bed myself. I did, however, had some fresh quayle eggs imported from France, had them flown in by concorde and hired a French chef to prepare an exquisite breakfast for my Momomi."

"It's not the same," Shizuma said.

"Perhaps not," Kaname smiled. "But Momomi appreciated it nonetheless."

"I'm surprised you're so negative towards work," Shizuma replied. "You and Momomi ran the entire black market back on Astraea Hill."

"I beg to differ," Kaname replied. "What Momomi and I do is hard work. But there is challenge involved and no lack of enjoyment. We gather information, we leak rumors, we play our clients out against each other to come out on top and try to get the most profits out of minimal effort. The Astraea Black market operation we had running was merely to stave off boredom. Of course, more money on top of our monthly allowance is always a good thing. We always buy 'special things' from the money we make from such operations to keep the memories close to heart."

"Why are you telling me this?" Shizuma asked.

"Because you already know," Kaname smirked. "And because, sometimes, it's nice to brag about one's skills."

Before their conversation could continue, a rather upset Nagisa came running out of the Ryokan and promptly hugged Shizuma.

"ohShizumaI'msosorry. Ididn'tmeantoyellatyou. Ididn'tmeantosaythoseawfulthingstoyou.

IloveyouShizumapleaseforgiveme. I'llneverbeangrywithyouagain. I'msuchahorribleperson."

"Okay," Kaname sighed. "That disgusting display just sent my new-found respect for Nagisa-san hurtling into the ground."

"Sssh," Shizuma smiled. "It's okay, sweetie. You're not the one who should be apologizing."

"Eeeeeeeh?!" Nagisa replied. "But I..."

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have dropped your phone into the pitcher. Does it still work?"

"It does," Nagisa smiled. "It's a quality Finnish product."

"Yokatta," Shizuma smiled. "And, Nagisa, you're right. One does treat money differently when you know there'll always be more on the way. I promise you, I'll keep a better eye on our finances from now on."

"Forgive?"

"Forgive!"

As the two girls kissed, Kaname rolled her eyes. "If you need me, I'll be upchucking my breakfast in the corner over there."

Ignoring Kaname, Nagisa pointed at the playing children at the beach. "Shizuma? Wouldn't it be nice to join that volleyball game and go for a swim later on?"

"Sounds like a plan," Shizuma replied. "I'll need to change first. I'll go do that right now and then..."

Immediately, Nagisa's phone rang. "Hello? Oh, uh, hi mom. Yes, it was a small technical hitch. Oh, okay."

Nagisa handed Shizuma her phone. "It's for you, Shizuma."

And as Shizuma growled and took the phone, Nagisa quickly took the pitcher with her as she went back inside the Ryokan.

* * *

As Nagisa had just finished changing into her bikini to join Chikaru and Shion at the beach, she passed the hallway where Kaname and Momomi had their room.

Curiously enough, she heard Momomi talking in English. Nagisa couldn't help but peek into the room. She saw Momomi on the phone with her computer in her lap.

"Yes, operator," she spoke in near perfect English. "Khaddafi. K-H-A-D-D-A-F-I. Yes, the president and dictator of your country. The person who will have you executed if you don't put me on the line with him immediately. He's expecting my call. Just say that you have Akai Kitsune on the line."

There was some silence and apparently, she was switched through. "Ah, a good day, Your Excellency. How's the rash? Hm? Still bothering you? Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. I'll make sure to add some of our native herbal remedies with the next shipment... No need to thank me, Your Excellency, I am here to serve... Kaname-san? Oh, she's fine, thank you for asking... Shall we get to business?"

Nagisa frowned for a moment, but kept listening.

"I've already e-mailed you the information on the merchandise. The merchandise in question are high-quality American Boomsticks, semi-automatics. Just what you need to take care of that little insurrection you have on your hands... Yes, yes, I know... Demanding democracy like that, how dare they... It's a crying shame... We'll send your shipment through Rotterdam harbor, and we'll make sure the local gendarmerie will be bribed with copious amounts of weed. And..."

Nagisa gasped when she was suddenly grabbed roughed by the arm and spun around.

"It's about _FIREWORKS_," Kaname snarled in her face. "Nothing more, nothing less."

Nagisa gulped, wondering what she had done to earn Kaname's ire. "I-I wasn't listening in. I just heard Momomi-san and then..."

"_FIREWORKS_," Kaname stressed.

Nagisa thought for a moment and smiled. "Oh, yes, I remember you sold illegal fireworks to the girls at Astraea every new year. It makes a lot more sense now, I understand that that president is trying to bring his people together again by hosting a big party with fireworks! Yes, of course!"

Kaname raised an eyebrow. "Yesssssss, that's just it. A party. No doubt it will be _explosive_."

"I'll be out of your hair, then," Nagisa replied. "Shizuma and I'll be off to the beach. See you at dinner, Kaname-san!"

Kaname watched her go for a moment. She shook her head and went inside the room, closing the door behind her.

'Yikes', Nagisa thought as she hurried back to her room. Just in time to catch Shizuma was she was making final adjustments to her bikini top. Shizuma's black bikini brought out her sexy curves quite nicely, and the deep black contrasted nicely with her soft creamy-white skin. Nagisa's heart started beating twice as fast when her eyes roamed from Shizuma's soft cheeks, along her perfectly chiseled neck, stopped a moment at her lover's soft round breasts, until she found a path along her tight abdomen and her very lickable belly-button, to finally end by going down the length of her long slender legs.

Shizuma smiled as she flipped her sizable amount of hair and removed the pin from it, letting it hang loose. "Enjoying the view?" she smirked.

Nagisa blushed three shades of red after realizing she'd been caught staring. _'Eeeeh?!' _Nagisa thought to herself _'Why am I so embarrassed?! She's my wife! I see her naked every day!' _Immediately, Nagisa resumed looking at her wife. Vigorously so.

And she felt Shizuma's eyes roaming over her body as well. Like Shizuma, Nagisa was also wearing a bikini. Any sense of embarrassment Nagisa might have felt was pressed down by the pride she felt when she realized that her wife thought that she was dead sexy.

A few seconds later, Shizuma and Nagisa were sharing a loving kiss. A kiss that deepened. A kiss that had them both ending up lying on their futon. A kiss that was promptly stopped by Shizuma when she felt Nagisa tugging at the clip at the back of her bikini top.

"Nagisa," Shizuma smiled warmly. "If this goes on, we won't be going to the beach for at least three hours."

"I suppose," Nagisa pouted slightly. "It could wait till tonight."

"It'll be worth the wait, my sweet Nagisa," Shizuma smiled and gently caressed her wife's cheek. "I bought massage oil."

"Really?" Nagisa beamed. "I love your massages."

Shizuma smirked. "I know. We'll play at the beach now... and we'll play in our room later."

Nagisa's blush returned, but her cheeky response was cut off by the ringing of Nagisa's phone. Shizuma froze. Something she did quite often when she heard Nagisa's ringtone.

A somewhat annoying Nagisa tore herself away from her wife and reached for the phone lying next to the futon. "Hello?" Nagisa spoke into her phone, causing Shizuma to hold her breath.

"Oh, hi, Yaya-chan!" Nagisa covered her phone with her hand and turned to Shizuma. "It's Yaya-chan."

"I heard," Shizuma let out a sigh of relief.

"Hi, Yaya-chan," Nagisa said again. "I didn't know you were back in the country already. Oh, you're not? Calling from the States? Isn't that terribly expensive? I wouldn't want to be a burden on you. What? You won a lottery? Seriously?"

Nagisa listened incredulously at Yaya's ravings. Apparently, she bought a ticket from a 7-11 on a whim and ended up winning half a million dollars. So she was living it large with Tsubomi and the family they were visiting, which was the same family Yaya had lived with during her Foreign Exchange adventure two years back. For everyone concerned, it was for the best that Yaya visited them rather than the other way around. Astraea Hill was still recovering from the last visit by the Griffins.

"Hm, say, Yaya-chan," Nagisa asked. "Have you ever heard of American Semi-Automatic Fireworks? Just a question..."

* * *

Three little hentai-sans had broken away from the main group and had hiked up to a shaded parking lot on top of a cliffside somewhat above their Ryokan and the beaches below.

The reason? There were coin operated binoculars there.

The three boys competed for turns at the single working pair of binoculars there, elbowing at each other.

"Let me see, let me see!" Keita pleaded.

"What's she doing? What's she doing?" Suguru asked.

"Brace yourselves, lads," Kira drooled. "They've stopped the volleyball game..."

"Awwwww," sounded from the other two boys. "No more bouncy-bouncy..."

"... but it looks like they'll all getting some icecream at the public beach!"

"WWWWOOOAAHHH!" And the shoving commenced.

"Oh, Shion-sensei is walking away. Oooh, she's got a nice ass. Nice ass for such a hard-ass. Heh heh, get it?" Kira laughed at his own joke. "She's got a really nice ass, but she's also a hard-ass. So I said 'Nice ass for such a hard-ass'."

Kira got violently pulled from the binoculars. Suguru and Keita struggled for a bit, but finally Keita won out. "Oh, my god... Oh my freakin' GOD!" he gasped.

"What? What?!"

"Shizuma-san is eating... an ice-cream cone," Keita sighed. "Oh, that sweet velvety goodness lapping across that cold creamy surface of the icecream. Oh, she's really enjoying it, closing her eyes and everything. If I could make one wish, it was that that icecream could be me."

"Let us see!" Suguru pleaded.

"Let us see!" Kira added. The three boys scraped for a moment, until a loud click could be heard from the binoculars.

"Coins! COINS!" Keita shouted. Immediately, the three boys started looking for coins. After turning their pockets inside out, it turns out the boys were all out.

"Oh, you morons, I don't believe this!" Keita accused. "We're able to see Shizuma-san's beautiful tongue at work and all that stands between us is the lack of coins."

"Crushing..." Suguru started.

"... Defeat," Kira finished.

A chuckle from behind them alerted them to the presence of another. Kenjou Kaname stepped up to them, smirking.

"We... we weren't doing anything!" Keita announced with a tremble.

Kaname chuckled. "Oh? People who say they 'weren't doing anything', usually were doing something. Besides, there's no need to deny it, I could hear you a mile away. Stealing a look at Shizuma-sama, weren't you?"

"Uh, no," Suguru stressed.

Kaname shook her head and picked an item from her pocket. It was wooden and copper, and fit perfectly in her hand. With a flick of the wrist, a large blade sprang from it. Kaname pushed past the boys and put the tip of the blade in one of the screws on a back panel and twisted sharply. After the one screw was removed, she wedged the blade in between the panel and the binoculars and wrenched open one side, revealing the coins. "There you go," she smiled. "It's old trick I've picked up. You feed the machine on its own coins now and take all the other coins with you when you leave. When a policeman spots you, just tell him you found it like that when you got here."

"Uhm," Kira smiled. "Thanks, Kenjou-san."

"Wow!" Suguru smiled. "Is that a real Rambo knife?"

"But before I leave," Kaname smiled and suddenly pushed all three boys against the railing with one arm, and her knife hovering dangerously close to the boys in the other hand. "Yes," Kaname said dead-pan while she cleaned her nails with the tip of the blade. "If I catch you, or even hear that you've been spying on my Momomi, I will personally gut you with this knife, and play rope with your small intestine. I'll cut you long, I'll cut you hard and I'll cut you deep!"

The boys gulped. The pure seriousness in Kaname's voice sent any erotic fantasies about Kaname and Momomi screaming from their minds.

"I... I suppose you want us to stop looking at girls?" Suguru gulped.

"Heavens no," Kaname smiled while she clicked her knife shut and put it back in her pocket. "Both Shizuma-sama and Nagisa-san are fair game. As are Shion-san and Chikaru-san. Just leave Momomi out of your teenage fantasies. And myself as well, while you're at it."

"H-hai," the three boys nodded.

Kaname turned around and narrowed her eyes. "Boys," she said. "Hide in those bushes over there."

"Wh..."

"Just do it!" she hissed and while the boys hid, she leaned against the railing next to the binoculars. A few moments later Chikaru walked up the path to the overlook. "Greetings Kaname-san," she said.

"Yes?" Kaname returned.

"I was wondering if you have seen the three older boys from our group. You might remember them. Their names are Keita-kun, Kira-kun and Suguru-kun," Chikaru smiled. "They snuck away and we need to find them quickly."

"Ah, yes, those three," Kaname nodded. "I think I saw them sneaking around the main road near the public beach, near the changing booths. I paid them no mind."

"Did I hear you talking to someone just one?" Chikaru asked.

Kaname shrugged. "I was just humming a tune. Nothing special."

Chikaru frowned and it was obvious that she didn't quite believe Kaname, on both counts. But she apparently decided to check out this one lead anyway. "Thank you, Kaname-san," she nodded. "Enjoy your afternoon."

"Same to you," Kaname waited until Chikaru was gone and then called the boys out again.

"Thanks, Kenjou-san," Keita said. "We would have been scolded for sure, especially by that hard-ass Shion-sensei."

"Yeah," Kira sighed. "Chikaru-sensei gets 'nice-angry', which is even worse than getting yelled at."

Kaname smirked. "Let me give you a tip. That one, Chikaru. Never tell her an outright bold-faced lie. She'll see right through those. It's her nature. Tell her half-truths. Cover yourselves by saying 'I think...', 'There might...' or 'I'm not really sure, but...'. Chances are you'll still be found out, but you've got a chance she'll give you the benefit of the doubt if you circle around the truth a couple of times, keep your expression neutral and cover your tracks well. She's a slippery one, alright."

"Thanks," Suguru smiled. "We owe you one."

"Yes, you do," Kaname chuckled. "Now, continue watching. But be sure to return between now and an hour. I wouldn't put it above Shion to draft us all to look for you. Or she might even call the police."

As Kaname walked away, she overheard the little hentai-sans as they resumed their peeping.

"WOW! Now Nagisa-san is eating a popsicle!"

"Yeah, work it like a pro, baby! Wrap those lips around it!"

"Do you think Nagisa-san and Shizuma-san do it? Just like Chikaru-sensei and Shion-sensei?"

"Oh, so totally YEAH!"

* * *

After all those games of volleyball, Nagisa found that not even a nice cold popsicle could cool her off. So, she decided to take a nice dive into the ocean. There was a long jetty from the beach to a few yards into the ocean which had rowboats tied to it. She wasn't in the mood for rowing, but a long running start for a nice cool dive was just what got her blood pumping.

Shion had already taken a few children who wanted to go for a swim to the jetty and Nagisa was eager to join them. She took a running start and sped onto the jetty.

She noticed Shion and a few of the children standing at the end of the jetty and smiled. If she kept running, she'd be the first one in the water.

"...It's a good thing you saw that, Futaba-chan," Nagisa heard Shion say as she ran towards them, but paid it no heed. "Otherwise it could have ended very badly and... NAGISA-SAN! DON'T JUMP INTO THE WATER!"

"Huh?" Nagisa replied and tried to skid to a halt, but her momentum caused her to fly off the end of the jetty and head-first into the water. And into a terrible amount of pain.

* * *

Chikaru watched Shizuma with ever growing concern as the two of them sat side by side in the waiting from the ER in the local hospital, waiting to hear some news about Nagisa. All around them sat sick and injured people: mothers with coughing kids, workmen who had managed to fire a nailgun at themselves, an elderly man with a twisted ankle, a chef with a fork in his brain, a young teenage girl who had fallen over skating and, last but not least, a hentai in a raincoat who had been chosen his target very poorly: an advanced Kendo student. As a result, he was holding a certain severed member in a baggie filled with ice while sitting on another bag of ice.

Chikaru saw that Shizuma was doing her best to maintain her composure. She was still the silver-haired Queen of Queens, poised to perfection as she had been during her position of Etoile of Astraea Hill. But Chikaru knew it was a facade. It had been a facade then, and it was a facade now. She could see it in the older girl's eyes as they darted around the room. And Chikaru was getting seriously worried.

"Just Nagisa-chan's luck, ey?" Chikaru said, in an attempt to lighten the mood. "Goes for a swim on the very first day and jumps right into a colony of jellyfish. Poor Nagisa-chan. She'll be fine, but I don't think she'll be swimming for a while."

If the quip had helped, Shizuma didn't show it. The silver-haired girl simply started out in front of her, her eyes kept darting across the room in an unfocused state.

"What's taking so long?" Shizuma asked, and it was apparent from her voice that she was dreadfully nervous.

Chikaru smiled and laid her hand on Shizuma's shoulder. "There's plenty of people here, Shizuma-sama. Maybe the doctors are keeping her waiting for a while. Or maybe someone with a more urgent injury had to be treated first. That hentai over there needs treatment pretty quickly, I'd think."

"There was plenty of rush to get Nagisa into the doctor's ward," Shizuma grimaced. She let out a short grunt, rose from her seat and darted towards the front desk. A worried Chikaru was quick to follow her. When she arrived at the front desk, Shizuma had already approached the on-duty nurse.

"Name, insurance company and type of injury?" the on-duty nurse droned without looking up from her computer.

"Hanazono Shizuma," Shizuma spoke harshly. "I want to know what you are doing to help a patient called Aoi Nagisa."

"I'm sorry, but I'm not allowed to divulge that kind of information to non-relatives," the on-duty nurse replied, again without looking up from her screen.

"Non-rel... I AM HER WIFE!" Shizuma shouted, attracting attention from the other patients sitting in the waiting room.

Chikaru shook her head. "Shizuma-sama," she started to say. "I'm sure she's alright, I..." Chikaru tried to place her hand on Shizuma's shoulder, but Shizuma batted it away.

"Listen to me," Shizuma hissed. "What is she to me? She's my soul, alright! Is that enough for your bureaucratic brain to handle?! So tell me how's she's doing and what you are doing to make her well again!"

The on-duty nurse finally looked up from her screen and seemed to think for a while. "Alright," she sighed. "Aoi Nagisa, right? The girl that was brought in with the jellyfish stings all over her body? Hm, well the treatment is taking a little longer than expected. There were some complications."

"Complications?! WHAT?!" Shizuma shouted, and for a moment, Chikaru feared Shizuma would grab the nurse by the lapels and pulled her across the counter.

"Miss, please calm down. I..."

"Calm down? CALM DOWN?!" Shizuma snarled. "I demand you let me see my wife this instant! I want to talk to the doctor who's treating her! I..."

"Miss, if you don't calm down, I will be forced to have security remove you from the premises."

"Do you have any idea who I am?" Shizuma stressed. "I am the sole heiress of the Hanazono family! I could buy this hospital right from under your sorry ass right now and have security kick _you_ out!"

Shizuma trembled with rage until suddenly, she stopped. Her eyes grew wide for a moment and she looked away. Her body stiffened, her shoulders slumped and she started to breathe easily. "Gomen," she whispered softly. "Yurushite Kudasai. I'll sit down. But please... please... just help my Nagisa."

"That's what we're here for, miss," the on-duty nurse replied. Chikaru followed Shizuma back to their seats, where Shizuma plopped down and sighed heavily.

"I just saw a side of myself I really don't like," Shizuma spoke dejectedly. "I'm sorry you had to see that."

Chikaru shook her head. "I understand," she smiled and placed a hand on Shizuma's shoulder. "Don't worry, Shizuma-sama. It's all going to be alright. It's just a few jellyfish-stings."

"Thank you," Shizuma smiled briefly. "You're a good friend, Chikaru-kun."

Chikaru remembered the frantic ride to the hospital. She had held Nagisa's hand in the back of the car while the younger girl cried and cradled her fast reddening skin. Takashi was nowhere to be found, but he had entrusted Shizuma with the keys to his car. And after Chikaru left the children with Shion, she had gotten into the car... and promptly wished she hadn't, because Shizuma drove an oversized car she wasn't familiar while driving double the speed limit over a road with a 50 meter drop on one side. It wasn't Chikaru's idea of safe driving. Not at all.

Nagisa'd been stung all over her body and had been in a lot of pain. But what Chikaru would never forget was the wild panicked look in Shizuma's eyes as she sped the car towards the hospital, all the while switching her focus between the road and her beloved Nagisa.

"I hate hospitals," Shizuma whispered softly. "I hate that horrible antiseptic smell, I hate the white coats, I hate the bleeping machines... This is a place of sickness and death, Chikaru-kun."

"Shizuma-sama..."

Shizuma looked away. "I was four when my mother died. I went to visit her with my nanny and my dad and an hour later she was dead. We hadn't even left the hospital yet. It was just so sudden, so surreal. Imagine being four years old and slowly starting to realize that your mother is never coming home again. Dad never got over it. He just threw himself on his work and spent all of what little free time he had to play with me. He even broke off my engagement so that I could make my own choices in life."

"You were betrothed to someone?" Chikaru asked.

"From the moment I was a zygote," a smile tugged on the corners of Shizuma's mouth. "I was promised to a boy from the Rokujou family. Miyuki's cousin, ironically. It doesn't matter," Shizuma shrugged. "My engagement was broken off when I was six. It caused quite a fuss, but it was for the best, because I would never ever get involved with a man."

Shizuma sat back for a moment, and closed her eyes. "Kaori. Did you know I sat with her in the hospital? Till the very moment she died?"

"No," Chikaru replied softly. "No, I did not. That must have been difficult for you."

"Kaori loved life, Chikaru-kun," Shizuma smiled briefly. "She loved life because she always knew she was going to die young. She was a fighter. I watched her fight for every single breath she took, long after she slipped into unconsciousness. But she was fighting a losing battle. Her breathing became more and more shallow, until finally even someone as strong as Kaori had to admit defeat. All I remember after that was the horrible bleep of the machine, the terrible antiseptic smell, and men in white coats trying to wrench Kaori's body away from me."

Tears welled up in Shizuma's eyes and Chikaru motioned for her to put her head on her shoulder. An ocean of silver hair slid over her back as the former Etoile allowed Chikaru to comfort her. "Ssh, it'll be alright, Shizuma-sama. Nagisa is not your mom. Nagisa is not Kaori."

"I know that... but still," Shizuma whispered. It was then that Chikaru knew how fragile the balance within the silver-haired Etoile was. Certainly, Shizuma's soul had been healed through the true love she and Nagisa shared, but she realized that if Shizuma were to lose Nagisa in the same way she had lost Kaori, it would completely and utterly destroy her beyond any hope of recovery. At that moment, Chikaru prayed to any god or kami who happened to be listening in that that would never happen.

"Shizuma!" sounded the voice of Nagisa as she emerged from the ER. Though she was perky and happy, her left arm was completely bandaged up and held in a sling. She had similar bandages around her left leg and on several other spots on her body, as well as the left side of her torso and neck. In her hands, she was holding a small bag of pills. The doctor who had been treating her, a kindly older woman, stood next to her.

"Nagisa!" Shizuma rushed towards her and took her into a firm embrace.

Nagisa yelped as her painful left arm was caught between her body and Shizuma's. "Ita!" she hissed.

"Forgive me," Shizuma said quickly, not releasing Nagisa from the hug, but instead shifting enough to free Nagisa's trapped arm.

"Careful there," spoke the doctor.

Nagisa smiled and pressed her cheek against Shizuma's chest. "It's okay. Can we go back to the Ryokan? I'm, uh, getting kinda hungry."

"Sure, Nagisa," Shizuma asked. "What have they given you?"

"Some pills to combat itchiness and some ointment," Nagisa pouted. "And no swimming or sunbathing for a week. Darnit."

"I'll take care of you, Nagisa," Shizuma kissed Nagisa's forehead. "Don't worry."

Chikaru observed from a distance and smiled. Everything turned out well, luckily. And she knew one lucky girl who would be pampered and treated like a porcelain princess for the rest of the week.

"Uhm," the doctor said. "Could you follow me into this room, please?"

Shizuma and Nagisa exchanged a look and, after beckoning Chikaru to follow them, the three girls walked into a private area behind the front desk which seemed to be a treatment room. "Aoi-san," the doctor spoke. "Like I told you, your skin is badly inflamed on many places, so you'll have to be very careful with sunbathing. Make sure you're under a parasol at all times and absolutely no swimming for the entire week. Also, um, I don't know quite how to put this, but..."

"What is it, doctor?" Nagisa asked.

"Well, uh," the doctor blushed slightly. "You see, well, uhm... Strenuous activity is to be avoided at all cost. You must avoid perspiration and pressure on your bandages as little as possible, or your pain will return and it will impede your healing process. So, uhm, that means, um, I would strongly advise against, well..."

The doctor bent over and whispered something into Nagisa's ear.

"EEEEEEEHHHHHHH?!" Nagisa cried out. "NO SEX FOR A WHOLE WEEK??"

Chikaru blushed bright red and realized that Nagisa was apparently not aware that all the people in the waiting room were trying to peek inside now and her outburst had even caused a certain grievously injured hentai to drop from his seat.

Shizuma stood there stunned, still trying process this information. "B-but," she finally said. "We're on holidays. And I've bought massage oil... And we're staying at a very romantic Ryokan with a room that has view of the moon sinking into the ocean at night..."

"L-look," the doctor said. "Aoi-san needs rest and time to heal. It's for the best if you two abstain for a week. If you don't, the healing process might take twice or even three times as long. It's going to be hard enough for her skin to be free of perspiration in this hot weather."

"Then... If we were to... that could mean no sex for three weeks?" Nagisa gulped. She sighed and then gritted her teeth. "PAIN AND ETERNAL DEATH TO ALL JELLY-FISH EVERYWHERE!"

Shizuma snarled as well. "I will not forgive them!"

"Careful!" Chikaru said, trying to convince Nagisa to save face in this instant. "Getting angry might be a 'strenuous activity'. I think you should listen to the doctor. It'll only be for a week."

Nagisa sighed heavily. "Oh, no heavenly embraces from Shizuma for an entire week. This sucks."

"What you said," Shizuma added, looking rather dejected.

"When we get home, I'm going to ask Kaname-san if she has some of that semi-automatic fireworks so I can throw it at those stupid jelly-fish at the jetty," Nagisa promised herself.

Chikaru just stood there and shook her head. Indeed, Nagisa would be treated as a precious china-doll for the rest of the week, but there were bound to be some frustrations along the way.

* * *

Next up will be Yaya in Quahog. Update to Summer Holiday should be ready in two weeks or so. Take care!


	5. Chapter 5 : Withdrawal Symptoms

Hey everybody. The next part of Summer holiday is here, ready for the public. Some notes apply here: first of all, a guest appearance of two characters from another series. They're pretty easy to spot. Secondly, Kaname and Nagisa are having a conversation about religion in this part. Keep in mind that I'm an atheist myself, so I tend to be somewhat biased in such things.

The next update will be Everybody loves Yaya, but since I'll be going on holidays for about two weeks, it should take some time for me to get it up. I am bringing my laptop there, so I can get some writing done in a lost hour or two.

Disclaimer: I don't own Strawberry Panic. No really. I don't.

To Sabotender : Actually, I chose to give Nagisa a Nokia phone because so many people think Nokia is actually Japanese instead of Finnish. But you are partially correct. One of my best friends is Finnish, and her husband is actually part of the R&D department of Nokia. So I do have ties with Nokia, albeit indirectly. :)

* * *

**We're all going on a... summer holiday**

**Chapter 5 : Withdrawal Symptoms.**

"I look him straight in the eye," Chikaru replied coldly. "And then I take out my dagger and stab him right in the face!"

Everyone gathered looked incredulously at Chikaru. The DnD game had seen the emergence of two new players with the arrival of Chikaru and Shion. And now that the kids were asleep, Shion and Chikaru, along with the others, relaxed with some play.

Of course, everybody was quite amazed that Chikaru, the kindest person to ever grace Astraea Hill, the most caring and loving person in the room, was also frighteningly good at role-playing a Chaotic Evil Blackguard. In game, Illasera Everhate the Maddened had already slaughtered three innocent peasants on a whim, slashed the throat of a beggar asking for alms, set fire to an orphanage, stole the contents of the poorbox, smashed a table over the head of a priest of Ilmater. Her only good deed was that she donated blood for healing spell-components... of course, it was not her own blood which she donated, but just the same...

The second addition to the game was Soul-Of-The-Raging-Dragon, a kung-fu obsessed monk played by Shion, who was quite eager to get into fist-fights. Incredibly so.

"But..." Nagisa tried. "He's the kindly innkeeper who gives us quests and such."

"He looked at me funny," Chikaru replied. "He has to die. I'm Evil, remember?"

"I think you're enjoying being Evil a little too much, Chikaru-kun," Shizuma spoke calmly.

"There may be hope for her yet," Kaname muttered under her breath.

"Does this mean I'll get to do my Bruce Lee thingy again?" Shion asked hopefully, already chopping her hands through the air.

Takashi frowned. "You know, Shion-san, as DM I am supposed to point out that DnD monks are more than just Bruce Lee clones. There's more intricacies involved here. Being a monk is more of a body and mind thing."

"Oh, you mean like head-butting your enemies?" Shion replied. "I already checked out the rules for that. Lessee, something about close quarters fighting against 1d8 constitution bonus with dexterity bonus added to your attack roll at the cost of incurring an attack of opportunity."

"Uh, yeah," Takashi said. "But taking about role-playing here..."

"Do we get to roll for attack now?" Shion stressed. "Come on, I wanna kick some innkeeper ass!"

"Alright, roll your dice," Takashi shrugged.

_And so it happened that the most foul of all, Illasera Everhate the Maddened, doth lost her mind when the kindly innkeeper Harry the Goodman frowned at her in a funny way. And lo, she doth drew a dagger from her belt and swiftly stabbed the innocent innkeeper in the face. The poor man screamed and cried as he lay bleeding on the sawdust covered floor. _

_Chaos ensued when Soul-Of-The-Raging-Dragon lost her mind as well, and delivered a flawless kung-fu chop to the neck of the nearest bar patron, sending ale and blood flying through the air in a neat splat. Frodi, the barbarian halfling, didn't hesitate for a moment and jumped into the fray, dealing punches left and right while stealing ales where she could and drank them all down. Hitomi, the intrepid bard, played a merry tune to encourage her fellow party members while dodging a couple of the more violent spats nearby. Mai, the sorceress did her own part, mostly distracting the enemies by enraging them with one of her spells: Bigby's Raised Middle Finger. Sitting in the middle of it all was Duenedane, who wished no part in all of this and chose to continue sipping her drink at the bar._

Momomi watched as she others did their attack rolls and gently petted a purring Maneki on her lap. Maneki had been given a lot of attention by the kids lately and now that they'd gone to bed, she had reported for petting at the person most likely to do so: Momomi.

"Well," Momomi petted the now nearly sleeping car. "Looks like you got us into a nice little fight, Chikaru-san."

"Oh, don't worry, the DM'll fix it," Takashi grinned. "This is kinda fun. I can't say this game is boring. The six of you really keep me on my toes. Hm, it looks like we're all out of soda and cheese nibbles, though."

"I'll go get some more from the larder!" Nagisa offered and got up. When she returned, she filled the bowls and handed everyone a cold soda. But when she handed Shizuma hers, their fingers brushed ever so slightly... it sent a collective shudder through both of them, returning them to the days when they were still students at Astraea Hill. The reason for this was simple: withdrawal.

It had been four days since Nagisa's accident, and even though they were at one of the most romantic locations in Japan, they had not been able to make love and wouldn't be for another three days. The sexual tension between them was steadily mounting, and they weren't the only ones to notice.

"Oh, please," Kaname sighed. "Will you two just stop this?! It's seriously annoying. Nagisa-san's behaving like a gasping concubine and you, Shizuma-sama, try to hide it but you're just screaming for it. At least drop the woe-is-me-boo-hoo act!"

"But..." Nagisa started to say.

"_You_ might not be able to have sex, Nagisa-san, but there's not reason Shizuma-sama has to suffer," Kaname shook her head. "Your tongue isn't covered with jellyfish bites, after all."

A spray of soda shot from Takashi's mouth and nostrils, followed by a mixture of coughing and laughter. Shion giggled slightly while Chikaru was pretending to be somewhere else. Shizuma actually blushed while Nagisa looked as if the earth was about to swallow her whole.

"My, my," Momomi said uneasily. "Kaname says the darndest things, doesn't she?"

"Stow it, you know I'm right," Kaname said.

"Okay," Takashi tried to recover. "Lets just focus on the game now, shall we?"

* * *

Nagisa passed through the hallways in the dead of night, after having brushed her teeth in the bathroom. She and Shizuma were the last people in the Ryokan to go to bed. In the quiet darkness, she passed the rooms of her friends and with these thin walls, sound carried. She could hear two distinctly different sets of soft moans coming from Kaname and Momomi's room.

She winced and quickly marched on. Kissing sounds came from Chikaru and Shion's room. Again, Nagisa pouted and almost started running. She passed Takashi's room, and heard soft chatting from the inside of the room. Takashi was speaking English with a girl who spoke with an Australian accent. Nagisa didn't remember hearing the girl coming in, but did remember that Takashi had headed out after they had stopped gaming for the day.

_Dammit, everybody's having sex but us, _Frustration held Nagisa hostage as she slid open the door to the room she shared with Shizuma.

Shizuma already lay on the futon. She had a nightlight on to do some reading and nodded a greeting to Nagisa as she entered.

Nagisa, in turn, gulped. Shizuma was in the habit of sleeping naked, but had opted to wear a negligee to bed in the hopes of shielding her wife (and herself) from ecchi thoughts. Unfortunately, the negligee was frilly and form-fitting, with black lace and spaghetti straps. Every curve of her body was accentuated with soft silk, and her Shizuma's bosom strained to remain inside the fabric.

Shizuma was even sexier with it on than without and Nagisa quickly looked away.

_Sexy... so sex-sex-sexy... _Nagisa gulped as she lifted her shirt over her head and unclasped her bra. The sharp intake of breath that sounded behind her let her know that she wasn't the only one suffering from withdrawal at the moment. It was oddly comforting.

She put on an oversized T-shirt to serve as a nightshift and lay down next to Shizuma. The older girl immediately took Nagisa in her arms and started caressing her gently.

"Shizuma, please don't," Nagisa winced. Shizuma sighed and withdrew.

"Sorry," Shizuma smiled sadly. "Shall I brush your hair?"

"Please," Nagisa rolled on her side with her back to Shizuma. Her wife gently removed her hairclips and started stroking her hair with the brush.

"They'll all having sex out there," Nagisa pouted.

"Lousy bums," Shizuma half-joked. "They don't know how lucky they are."

"We weren't always this... starved," Nagisa closed her eyes, thinking back to the time when they were married. Shizuma and Nagisa had first made love the day of the Etoile ceremony and in between the few months she had still be at Astraea, she realized she still had a lot to learn about the art of making love. Fortunately, Nagisa was a willing student and Shizuma had been a very, very willing teacher.

"Still," Nagisa said while Shizuma continued to brush gently. "Remember when you first went to University? You started living in the summer home and commuted back and forth. You'd leave early and arrive home late. On weekdays you'd come home, I'd be there from the Dorms, you'd have a quick meal and head straight to bed."

Nagisa remembered that this went on for six months. Shizuma'd commute back and forth and use up so much hours in the day, she barely had any time for herself. She remembered that Shizuma'd become more and more tired every day, that her grades were starting to suffer from it... and mostly, she remembered how guilty she started to feel because Shizuma was doing this to herself because she wanted to be close to Nagisa every day. In the end, that had lasted two months.

"That was different," Shizuma smiled. "Back then we could sleep together whenever wanted to... when I wasn't too tired, that is. But we knew we could if we wanted to. But now, it's because we know that we can't sleep together that our hormones are raging like bullet trains."

"I remember how hard it was to convince you to stop commuting," Nagisa whispered softly. "Even though it was making you so tired and was costing you your studies and all your free time."

"Just... having you in my arms every night was worth it," Shizuma smiled. "But I'll never forget the moment I had you crying in my lap begging me to stop it."

Nagisa remembered it well. It had been a last-ditch effort to convince Shizuma to choose for herself, for Nagisa's sake. For the rest of the time Nagisa was still studying at Astraea Hill, Shizuma stayed at Takashi's student house with all her friends during the weekdays. Shizuma'd leave fridays and arrive in the evenings to spend the entire weekend at the Summer House with Nagisa and would head back monday morning early. In the end, it was a healthier way to live than commuting back and forth every single day.

Again, Nagisa felt two strong arms encircling her waist. And before she knew it, Shizuma was nibbling on her earlobe.

"S-shizuma!" Nagisa protested and blushed brightly.

"Shi... Sorry," Shizuma sighed and withdrew. "I lost control there for a moment."

"Hmmm," Nagisa turned around and gazed at Shizuma. "Only three more days. I hope we can make it."

Outside, past the balcony, a calm blue see loomed as far as the eye could see. The wasn't a cloud in the sky and the moon shone proudly and relentlessly. A moonbeam passed through the window and illuminated their futon perfectly. A lovely serenade by the Cicada's outside completed the picture... this was one of the most romantic atmospheres the two of them had ever experienced. Making love during such a night would be the ultimate paragon of lovemaking.

"So," Shizuma whispered softly. "Mikado?"

"Oh, yes!" Nagisa said quickly and very strained as Shizuma picked up a bag of thin sticks. "Sounds like fun!"

"Just shoot me through the head," Shizuma sighed.

"Me first," Nagisa pouted.

* * *

Meanwhile, in a room not faraway from theirs, Kaname and Momomi were recovering from a rather intense session of serious lovemaking. Kaname, hot and sweaty, lay one her back and propped herself up somewhat to reach for a glass of water standing near the futon. After she had taken a few sips, a tired wordless plea from her lover prompted her to hand the glass to Momomi, who emptied it swiftly. The tired Momomi almost instinctively curled up against Kaname, who took her into a gentle embrace.

"Momomi?"

"Hm?"

"I've been thinking about letting my hair grow out again."

"Really?" Momomi stretched. "Hm, nice... You really had such gorgeous long black hair when we were first-years."

"I cut it because it got in the way of my tennis game," Kaname said. "But I hardly play tennis anymore and it doesn't get in the way of my dirtbiking, so I see no reason not to let it grow out now."

"Hmmm," Momomi suppressed a yawn. "Be nice if you had long hair. I could braid you and put ribbons and beads in it..."

Kaname frowned at Momomi for a moment. "As if I'd ever allow that, Momomi."

Momomi giggled. "No, no, no. You'd just wake up one day with a new fancy hairdo."

"Really?" Kaname smirked. "Well, then, in that case, I think you should be prepared to wake up bald the very next day."

Momomi shuddered for a moment. "Could you ever have the heart to molest these pristine brown locks on my head?"

"What? After you'd have defiled mine? In a heartbeat..."

"You're made of 100 pure bitch, Kaname," Momomi chuckled and held her a little tighter. "That's why I love you so much."

Kaname rubbed her chin for a moment.

"What's wrong?" Momomi asked.

"I've been thinking, Momomi," Kaname spoke calmly, and Momomi propped herself up a little as a result to be able to give Kaname her full attention. "Does it bother you that we don't often say that we love each other? We've been hanging around Shizuma-sama and Nagisa-san for several weeks now and they tell each other just about every five minutes."

Momomi raised an eyebrow. "Why would you say that? We know this of each other. So why repeat ourselves? Seriously, Kaname, what Shizuma-sama and Nagisa-san do, it... well, from an outsider's point of view, it seems like they're crying wolf. It's as if they're in need of re-affirming their love for each other every so often and, if you ask me, it sort of devalues the act. Of course, they won't see it that way, and that's for the best."

"So it doesn't bother you as all?" Kaname asked slyly.

"Well, let's put it this way," Momomi stretched and curled up against Kaname again. "You love yourself, Kaname. You're the center of your own universe. You'd give your life for yourself if need be. You yourself are the number one person in your life. And that's why, Kaname, people who love themselves as much as we do... people like us... give away a truly special gift when they say they love another."

Kaname smiled gently. "You're really something, Momomi... and..."

"Yes?"

"We're just about as big a couple of saps as Shizuma-sama and Nagisa-san are, aren't we?"

"Sure," Momomi closed her eyes and smiled. "We're just considerably less opulent about it."

* * *

Nagisa was quite happy to take Momomi's invitation to go shopping with her. Though she found Kaname to be quite scary, she did like Momomi more, even though the older girl was slightly distant. Also, there was the added bonus of being away from Shizuma for a while. Though she loved her wife dearly, she was about ready to jump on top of her and ravish her on the spot. Nagisa usually had a lot more self-control, but the withdrawal was getting to her.

While the two of them walked along the beach towards the center of town where the shops were, Momomi was telling Nagisa a pleasant tale of an incident that occurred when she and Kaname were second years. Apparently, it involved a sister's underwear, a nosy hentai and the keys to the gate and said sister's on-campus house, which Kaname had 'misplaced'. Not so oddly enough, Kaname had 'misplaced' the keys just after said sister had given her detention for giving her lip.

Nagisa found Momomi to be interesting. She told Nagisa just enough to keep her on the edge of her seat, yet did not tell her enough so that she could piece together the whole story through the intentionally vague descriptions mixed with what were probably half-truths and blatant lies. Still, Momomi was nice to her and Nagisa always welcomed the chance to make a new friend.

Just as they were about to cross the street, they were stricken by a rather odd spectacle. Two women in cosplay outfits were apparently guiding a large vehicle through the streets. The vehicle in question seemed to be a heavy tank which was pathetically disguised by a tiny doily thrown over it. One woman was looking unnaturally pale while the other girl was orange-blonde, painfully hyperactive and singing rather loudly.

"Uh, sempai?" spoke the pale girl with a weak voice as she pointed at Nagisa and Momomi.

"Huh?" the other girl replied, looked at the girls, then the tank, then at the tank again. "Oh, uh, greetings unwashed and ignorant masses! I, Excel, am guiding this peaceful coffee-table what I've just purchased through the streets of this unwashed town to my new flat. I must stress that this is NOT a tank and that we are NOT bringing this tank to IlPallazo-sama's secret undersea above land hide-out in downtown! No, hahahahah, don't be silly. This isn't a tank at all? See how this isn't a tank? That barrel that's sticking out from under the doily is, in fact, not a barrel. No, no, no, it's, uhh... Uhm... a cat! Yeah. See? It's a cute little cat. Kawaii, ne?"

Nagisa looked on incredulously while the tank passed them.

"I don't think they bought it, Excel-sempai."

"Quiet, Hatchan! You'll give the game away!"

Nagisa blinked. "W-what was that?!"

"Oh," Momomi shrugged. "They're just minions of an organization called ACROSS that wants to take over the world. Except they are incompetent, so they've settled for Japan... and when they couldn't manage that, they just wanted to take over F-city and they're not even getting any headway there either. As far as evil organizations go, they're mostly harmless."

Nagisa looked at Momomi incredulously. "H-how do you _**know**_ these things?!"

Momomi shrugged. "Who do you think sold them that tank?"

"Eeeh?"

"Nagisa-san," Momomi smiled. "All you need to understand is that everything you know is wrong. But trust me, Nagisa-san, _you_ would be better off remaining a Bluepill."

* * *

"Hm, how was your trip?" Shizuma asked.

"Marvelous," Momomi smiled. "We bought plenty of good things."

"Oh?" Shizuma asked, noticing Momomi was only wearing a handbag. "Where are they?"

At that moment, Nagisa entered, almost being crushed under the weight of the many bags she was carrying. Bags containing clothes, jewelry, gadgets, dvd's and even toys. Knowing Nagisa's taste, she could see that only one of those many bags was actually hers.

Shizuma rushed over to help the struggling Nagisa with her bags. "Momomi-san," she narrowed her eyes while lightening Nagisa's load. "My wife is not a pack-mule."

"It's okay," Nagisa strained to speak while putting down the myriad of bags and packages. "I offered it myself. And one of these bags is mine. I bought the groceries for dinner..."

"Can you still manage to carry the bags upstairs, Nagisa-san?" Momomi asked, sounding a bit too overly sincere for Shizuma's tastes.

"She is NOT carrying those bags upstairs," Shizuma said coldly.

Momomi nodded as she watched the panting Nagisa, having walked all the way from town with that heavy load under the burning sun. "Alright," Momomi called up the stairs. "Takashi-kun? Could you help out carrying these heavy bags for me?"

Takashi made it from his room to the front door in .6 seconds, surprisingly without tumbling down the stairs.

* * *

_Tension was thick in the air when Obi-wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn were faced with a dark warrior which the Jedi Order had not encountered for a thousand years: a Sith._

_The dark-robed Sith grinned wicked as she produced a lightsaber and let a grimson blade emerge from both ends. Immediately, the Sith went on the offensive, shooting forwards the slamming her lightsaber upon the two jedi, who barely managed to block the Sith's incredible speed._

_The Sith matched her prowess with the lightsaber with an impressive set of acrobatics, flipping over Qui-gon, while blocking an attack from Obi-wan. The Sith continued her assault and forced the two experienced jedi on the defensive effortlessly. Red slammed on blue, green slammed on red, red flashed across their line of sight._

_The Sith was in full control of the battle as she pushed the two jedi from the hangar bay into the loading dock beyond, forcing them to retreat across precariously narrow walkways conveniently placed over deep needless chasms. Obi-wan attempted to attack the Sith in the back while Qui-gon attempted to keep her busy, but that effort was answered by a vicious kick to the chin which sent him flying off the walkway. Thankfully, he landed on his back on a lower walkway rather than falling to his death in one of the chasms._

_When Obi-wan came to his senses, he noticed the battle between the Sith and Qui-gon was still going strong but that his master was fast losing ground. It took him a few moments to rejoin his master, but it was already too late : the Sith had found an opening and exploited it._

_Qui-gon's expression was one of sheer disbelief when the red lightsaber slashed through his abdomen. He toppled backwards, falling into the chasm in two pieces._

_"NOOOOOO!" shouted Obi-wan in an overly dramatic fashion, but the Sith was upon him in a heartbeat. She slammed her lightsaber through his chest, then withdrew it and decapitated him with one foul stroke._

_The Sith stood over his lifeless corpse, grinning viciously. "The Sith rule supreme," she whispered._

_"Yo! Yo!" sounded from her communicator. "Pick up the phone already!"_

_The Sith took out her communicator. "Yes, my master?"_

_"Darth Momomi," spoke the Emperor. "Have you killed those two losers yet?"_

_"They feed the worms as we speak."_

_"Good," said the Emperor. "Return to our Death Star pad, Darth Momomi. We could sit in this new mudtub I've had installed while we watch the Death Star blow up some planets."_

_"Yes, Emperor Takashi."_

Takashi awoke with a start and slowly realized he was still in the backyard for the Ryokan, rather than being the Emperor of a galactic empire spanning thousands of lightyears. Still, the disappointment was somewhat lessened by his first sight: Momomi relaxing in one of the lazy deckchairs in a yellow bikini while listening to her MP3 player and sipping a soda.

"Sweeeeeet," Takashi smiled to himself.

While Chikaru and Shion were out with the kids, the others had withdrawn to the backyard to relax in the shade. Shizuma and Momomi were relaxing in the deckchairs, while Takashi was propped up against a tree. A few meters to the right Nagisa was working the barbecue while she was chatting with Kaname.

On the menu were homemade tacos and Nagisa was busy grilling the meat above the fire, while Kaname was preparing the wraps and cutting the lettuce.

"So you believe both in God _and_ the theory of Evolution?" Kaname asked Nagisa.

"Of course," she replied. "I never understood why the two should be mutually exclusive."

"That's novel," Kaname replied.

"There are plenty of people who think the two are opposed," Nagisa said. "But it never made much sense to me. There's so much evidence that the Earth is older than 6000 years, yet there are so many people who think otherwise because it happens to be written in a book."

"The Bible," Kaname snickered. "The book that has caused more damage than it was ever worth."

"Oh, don't get me wrong," Nagisa smiled. "I like the Bible. It's a nice book with nice stories. But it's just that. It shouldn't be taken literally, because it's a compilation of stories that was created by man, not by God. I think Evolution is an engine for life on this planet... and who's to say God isn't behind that? Maybe He just set things in motion billions and is now looking back to see what's happening. Or maybe He plays a limited role to this very day."

"Religion is a tool for self-delusion, that's the way I see it," Kaname said. "It gives the illusion of power to the powerless. It promotes the delusion that we are actually running the whole show. In truth, we are absolutely inconsequential. It's a pyramid scheme of control. Of course, most people don't like the idea of being inconsequential, and hold fast to the idea of control. That's also the reason religion is so important to so many people. It gives the illusion that the actions they take and the things that happen around them somehow have meaning. That somehow everything that happens is because of a divine plan. Bullshit. Everything that happens is mostly random, and the only relationship that exists between events and happenings is Cause and Effect. Nothing more. Nothing less."

"I completely agree with some of your points," Nagisa replied. "I don't think God has a plan with us. I think he gave us free will to make our own decisions and to find our own way, be it for good or for ill. I don't know everything. But I do know is that we're responsible for our own actions and for our own happiness. And I can't believe in a God that would punish two people for loving each other."

"I must say, Nagisa-san," Kaname spoke. "I am pleasantly surprised by your attitude towards your faith. You are very flexible and open-minded for a religious person. I get so tired of the circular arguments. How do you know God exists? Because it's written. How do you know what is written is true? Because it's the word of God. Absolutely annoying. A certain blonde ex-Etoile who shall remain nameless had quite a hand of that."

"Well, I had to deal with over-religious parents who took everything literally," Nagisa smiled. "But, hey, guess what? Religious objections towards homosexuality certainly didn't count anymore when they found out Shizuma was rich."

Kaname snorted. "It's exactly that kind of hypocrisy that makes me hate religion and its supporters with a passion. Overly hysterical people shouting Allah to the heavens over and over again. People who bash each other's brains in because one Bible has a comma here and the other has a comma there. People who stand in the filthy Ganges because they think they will have a rotten life if they don't... Yeah, right, so their lives aren't rotten when they bathe in a filthy rotten muddy trench every day? I know there are some apologists out there who'd tell that I should have respect for other cultures and religions, but... sorry, I can't. I just think they're all suckers."

"Mind if I ask you a personal question, Kaname-san?"

"You may ask," Kaname replied. "But I might choose not to answer. Or to get offended."

"What do your parents think of your relationship with Momomi?" Nagisa asked. "I'm just wondering because my parents were so against my relationship with Shizuma at first."

"Hm," Kaname said, and Nagisa could see that she was pondering how much she should tell her. "Well, let's just say that the both of us have intimate knowledge about the going-ons in our respective families. It's not really worth a copper yen to go into at the moment, but suffice it to say that if we were to reveal what we know, it would cause an amount of shame that would far outweigh the shame they endure because Momomi and I are openly having a relationship."

"Blackmail?"

"Such a dirty word," Kaname said. "I prefer to see it as a promise to keep certain information undisclosed in return for a favor."

"It's a thought, I suppose," Nagisa smiled. "Wouldn't work for me, though. My parents never really did anything bad enough for me to blackmail them with. It's moot point, however, since my parents have accepted Shizuma now."

"Perhaps it's for the best," Kaname said. "You lack the spine to truly apply blackmail and see it true to the end."

"I'll take that as a compliment, Kaname-san."

Kaname actually nodded appreciatively. "Well, I think the lettuce and the tomato is about done? How's the meat looking?"

Nagisa smiled to herself. Kaname had become a great deal less scary today. Still a bit scary, but maybe, just maybe, they had put the first steps towards becoming something resembling friends. Of course, she knew that Kaname and Momomi didn't really have any friends, but she still held on to the thought that maybe, just maybe, she could be the first. She knew it was naive, but if they were interested, she'd be open to it. Momomi was, in her eyes, more approachable than Kaname, but she could be Kaname's friend as well.

As long as she could get past the sarcasm...

And the hateful comments...

And the mockery behind her back when they thought she wouldn't notice...

And the thinly veiled hostility from Kaname...

_'You know what, Kaname-san_?' Nagisa thought as she watched Kaname put the lettuce in a bowl. _'On second thought, screw us being friends, let's just be amicable and leave it at that_.'

* * *

One day until they'd visit the doctor. One more day.

Nagisa sat in the common room, trembling with desire while trying to keep herself distracted by reading manga. Shizuma wasn't any better off. The two were purposefully avoiding each other now, and she had heard from Momomi that Shizuma was often out in the communal baths dousing herself with ice-cold water.

Maneki sat on her lap after jumping on the couch and demanded to be petted, but not even her beloved cat could cheer her up right now.

Though most of Nagisa's jellyfish bites had faded, her arm was still in a sling and she really didn't want to take the risk to make it worse now by giving in right before the finish line and then not being able to have sex for another two or three weeks.

Still, a horrible, if irrational thought, had seeped into her mind. What if Shizuma couldn't cope? What if she'd decide to vent her frustration by... sleeping with another woman? Shizuma certainly did more than her fair share of bed-hopping in the past, after all.

Nagisa knew it was incredibly silly to think that, knowing full well how much Shizuma loved her. But still... it was hard to banish the thought completely from her mind, ludicrous as it was. Nagisa thought for a moment: If it were to happen, if the Shizuma she loved so deeply was to sleep with another woman... she'd be so terribly heart-broken. The pain would just be unbearable.

Of course, the solution to that would be to throw caution in the wind and show Shizuma she wouldn't need to sleep with another woman by making mad passionate love to her. Of course, that would mean she'd be in even deeper trouble if the perspiration would affect the remaining jellyfish bites.

In an act of frustration, Nagisa took her phone and dialed. She hated disturbing her friends during holidays, but this was an emergency.

"_Okuwaka_," sounded on the other end of the line.

"Hi, Tsubomi-chan."

"_Nagisa-chan!" _sounded Tsubomi. "It's good to hear from you."

"Is that an engine I hear in the background?" Nagisa asked.

"_Don't ask_," Tsubomi replied. _"How can I help you?"_

"I just wanted to talk... I have a bit of a problem..."

Tsubomi listened patiently while Nagisa explained, sometimes straining to listen over the sound of the engine in the background.

"_You should listen to your doctor's orders_," Tsubomi lectured sternly. "_Six years of medical school and twenty years of experience of treating people means she knows more than you. Just follow her instructions and you'll be healthy again in no time. Surely you can withstand your cravings one more day, Nagisa-chan. It would be foolish to do otherwise! And you would only have yourself to blame if disaster strikes_!"

"Ah, thanks, Tsubomi-chan," Nagisa smiled. "That is exactly what I wanted to hear!"

"_Uh. Alright_," Tsubomi replied, apparently unused to people actually agreeing with one of her lectures. "_My pleasure... AH! YAYA-CHAN, SLOW DOWN_!"

"_Wheeee_!" sounded Yaya in the background.

"_Swwwwwwwweeeeeeeeeettttt_!" sounded a male voice in English. "_Drive faster, Yaya! Faster!! Heheheheheheh_."

"_Peter-sama_!" Tsubomi called in English. "_Don't encourage her_!"

"Tsubomi-chan?"

"_Sorry, Nagisa-chan_," Tsubomi replied in Japanese. "_But I'm inside a dune-buggy right now and I might fall out if I don't put both hands on the railing. I'll call you back, Nagisa-chan. Bye! AAAHH! YAYA-CHAN, SLOW DOWN!!_"

"_Heheheheheheheheh_!"

"Bye," Nagisa smiled, not sure if Tsubomi had heard her, and put down her phone. The very reason she had called Tsubomi was because she was certain Tsubomi would give her a harsh lecture about self-discipline and common sense. And Tsubomi hadn't disappointed.

Nagisa reflected on her friends Yaya and Tsubomi. Things between Yaya-chan and Tsubomi-chan were going to well, and whenever they were together, even when they were fighting over something silly like they usually did, it was obvious that they loved each other very much. It was so nice that her friends were making plans together for their future. Yaya and Tsubomi were planning to rent an apartment together in town after Yaya would graduate this year. Tsubomi still had two years to go at Astraea, but they'd still be able to live together.

Nagisa sighed. 'I bet they're having great sex every single night,' she thought, immediately feeling very jealous.

* * *

Chikaru stood in the back while the doctor was slowly unwrapping the bandages around Nagisa's arm. As she had been present the first time here at the hospital, it only felt right to accompany her dear friends to see it through full circle.

The spots on Nagisa's body were mostly gone, but Shizuma was still worried. Party because her wife was still hurt and party because she hated and feared hospitals with a passion. Keeping Shizuma grounded was another good reason for joining them today.

"Well," the doctor said as she removed the bandages and gave Nagisa's arm a quick wash. "This is looking very good. The rash is gone and there's only small signs of epidermal trauma. I think you won't need re-bandaging. You'll be fine, Aoi-san. Just watch out before you jump into the ocean next time."

"So, uhm," Nagisa started but immediately blushed red as a beet. "Shizuma and I... well... I was just wondering if... You told us last time that..."

The doctor adjusted her glasses and smiled slightly. "Yeah," she said. "I'd say it's safe to have relations again and..."

But before the doctor could finish her sentence, Nagisa and Shizuma exchanged a look. Shizuma took Nagisa by the hand and together they ran out of the room. Chikaru said a quick goodbye to the puzzled doctor and tried to follow her friends. Unfortunately, when she left the front door, she was confronted with the sound of Takashi's car speeding away.

Chikaru looked on incredulously as the car was getting smaller and smaller in the distance. "But... you forgot _me_," Chikaru spoke with a little voice and steeled herself for a long walk back to the Ryokan. It would also mean that Shion'd be forced to take the kids out all by herself today.

But before the first curve in the road, the car stopped abruptly... and then reversed. A relieved Chikaru smiled as the car stopped in front of her.

"Arigato!" she said and entered the car... just before it sped off again.

"Alright," Shion said as she and the kids stood gathered in the main hallway. "We're just in time. It sounds like Chikaru-sensei has gotten back. Let's do a headcount. Futuba... Juri... Akagi... Youko... Sumiyoshi... Cheiko... Renji... Keita... Kira... Suguru... Alright, it looks like we're all here. As soon as Chikaru-sensei is..."

But before Shion could finish her sentence, Nagisa and Shizuma burst through the door, eyes closed and liplocked. Shion was stunned for a moment when Nagisa pushed Shizuma against the wall and let one hand slide over her breast while kissing Shizuma as if possessed. It didn't take long before Shizuma had gotten the upper hand again and guided her Nagisa to the stairs while lifting the back of her shirt and unhooked the clip of Nagisa's bra.

The two sex-deprived lovers were completely oblivious to the cries of 'Awwww', 'Ewwww' and a resounding 'BOOOIIINNNGGGG' from Keita, Suguru and Kira while they kissed, groped, moaned and sighed each other up the stairs towards the privacy of their room.

"Okay!" Chikaru came in through the front door. "Are we ready to go to the amusement park?!"

That elicited a joyous response from all the kids, save three.

"Are you kidding me?!" Keita replied. "How could any amusement park compare to that Lesbian Heaven we just saw right in front of us?!"

"Yeah!" Kira added. "We need to get binoculars, a telescope and a camera! We need to hurry! We're missing all the foreplay and the boobs!"

"Let's hope they forgot to close the shades!" Suguru said.

Shion slapped all three boys in the back of the head with one swing. "Boys, you WILL go to the amusement part and you WILL like it. Or else..."

* * *

An exhausted and sweaty Nagisa fell to her stomach and moaned heavily. Shizuma bent over her, leading a trail of kisses up the length of her spine while the added sensation of Shizuma's long silver hair trailing over her back as she kissed herself upwards almost made her swoon again.

Shizuma lay herself on top of her, and Nagisa felt the softness of Shizuma's body pressing all on top of her while the older girl gentle nipped at her shoulder.

"Shizuma," Nagisa gasped while Shizuma let one hand slide over her arm and used the other to gently cup one of Nagisa's breasts. "We've been at it for hours. I need a break."

"Really?" Shizuma asked. "Even when I do _this_?"

Nagisa's sharp intake of breath answered that question.

"We're both covered with hickeys. I'm going to have to wear a long dress and a scarf tomorrow."

"Hm," Shizuma chuckled. "I'll wear my hickeys with pride, Nagisa."

"W-what?" Nagisa gulped. "Even those there?"

"Yup," Shizuma grinned. "It won't stop me from wearing a bikini tomorrow."

"Eeeh?" Nagisa gulped. "B-but... everybody'll know what we've been doing!"

"Nagisa, we've both been loud enough for half the town to know what we've been doing," Shizuma smiled. Nagisa rolled onto her back and Shizuma immediately took the opportunity to pin her down and kiss her lips.

Nagisa was about to launch another argument to hide their hickeys tomorrow, but Shizuma was already kissing her way down, stopping for a moment to slide her tongue in and around Nagisa's belly-button before continuing her path.

And soon enough, Nagisa was no longer protesting at all.

* * *

Next chapter will shift focus towards Shion and Chikaru somewhat, since they deserve some more screentime.


	6. Chapter 6 : Heart to Heart Naughtiness

Hello everyone,

Finally, after some delays (RL got in the way, as well as Miyuki and Ayaka), a new Summer holiday is ready for the public. As an apology for the long delay, there's some lemony stuff in here, and we get to see Nagisa being naughty. :)

* * *

**We're all going on a Summer Holiday**

**Chapter 6 : Heart-to-heart naughtiness**

_Chikaru ran for dear life._

_As she ran through the forest, the twigs slapping into her face and slashing into her tender skin, she knew she couldn't afford to look back even for a second. A host of Kandarian demons were hot on her trail. Deadites, undead and foul, were out for her blood._

_She knew it had been foolish to head into the forest, especially with sightings of Deadites rampant the past couple of weeks. But she had wanted to gather mushrooms for her and her two little brothers to eat. She figured she wouldn't run into Deadites so close to the village... She figured it would never happen to her._

_But it did. And now she was making a mad dash for the village gate, hoping the other villagers hadn't gotten scared by the howled and had closed it._

_Doom struck when Chikaru's foot caught a branch and sent her tumbling onto the ground. As she spat the rotting leaves from her mouth, she quickly scrambled to get up. A sharp pain from her foot told her that she had rather badly twisted her ankle, and she had to force herself to stand up... only to fall down again when the pain became too much to bear._

_Tears streaked over her cheeks when an unsightly monster slowly started to approach her, claws at the ready. With no means to defend herself, this would be a short encounter for the beast. An easy meal._

_"Alright!" sounded a rough female voice from the other side of the clearing. "Who wants some?!"_

_Looking up, Chikaru saw an imposing blonde female with a high forehead standing on top of a rock, looking tough. She wore a leather jacket over a blue shirt, and there was a shotgun strapped to her back. In place of where once had been right hand, there now was a chainsaw attached to her wrist._

_The Deadite growled loudly at the female._

_"Buckle up, bonehead," said the female. "Cause you're goin' for a ride!"_

_Instantly the Deadite was upon her, but the female expertly sidestepped him, slashing off one claw with one hew of the chainsaw. The female grinned wickedly and treated the stunned Deadite to a swift kick to the rump._

_"I'll swallow your soul!" the wounded Deadite threatened. The female seemed less than impressed._

_"Swallow this," the female smirked and drew her shotgun. Before the Deadite could react, a load of buckshot blasted his head clean off. As the body of the undead abomination flopped to the ground, the female replaced the shotgun and kicked the body for good measure. "Good. Bad. I'm the gal with the gun."_

_Chikaru gulped when the female calmly stepped over to her and hoisted her to her feet by wrapping an arm around her waist. Chikaru managed to avoid the pain by shifting her weight to her other foot._

_"W-who..." Chikaru asked._

_"Ssssh," said the female. "Gimme some sugar, baby."_

_The passionate kiss that followed was surprisingly gentle and caring._

Chikaru started awake, somewhat disappointed that the dream was over. After all, the last part of the dream involved being laid down in the warm grass and her bodice being unlaced. At least there weren't any undead creatures here, though. Chikaru still lay on the deckchair on which she had been napping and saw that Shion was near her, barking at the three little hentai-sans who had obviously been caught at doing something inappropriate.

When she was done, Shion walked over to Chikaru on the deckchair. The anger on her face faded quickly.

"Are you awake?" Shion asked as she sat down on the deckchair. "I hope I wasn't responsible for that."

"No," Chikaru smiled and briefly touched Shion's arm, sliding down until she was holding her hand. "Shion-koi? Could you, uhm, do me a favor?"

"Anything."

"Could you say..." Chikaru leaned forward and whispered something in Shion's ear.

"Uh, okay," Shion frowned and scraped her throat. "Shop smart. Shop S-mart."

Chikaru closed her eyes and smiled.

"Uh, Chikaru? Did you just swoon?"

Chikaru nodded briefly. "I'll go into greater detail later tonight... when we're alone."

"Something to look forward to," Shion winked.

"Oh, you bet," Chikaru smiled. "You're entitled to a serious reward for saving me from that monster."

"Huh?" Shion blinked. "You been having weird dreams again?"

"Are you complaining?"

"Hell no," Shion grinned. "I don't know what you've been dreaming about lately, but I like it..."

"Trust me, your world will never be the same again," Chikaru smiled.

"You look tired," Shion said.

Chikaru half-smiled. "It's indirectly related to Nagisa-chan and Shizuma-sama. They had... fun almost all night and scared quite a few of the children."

Shion frowned. "How so?"

"Let's just say there quite a few kids too scared to sleep, and that there was a lot of talk of ghosts and angry spirits," Chikaru chuckled.

"Ah, moans and wailing. I get it," Shion said.

"Tell me about it," Chikaru said. "I was up half the night keeping the kids in bed and keeping them entertained. And just when one kid went to sleep, another one woke up scared."

"Why didn't you wake me?" Shion said. "I could have helped you."

"You were sleeping so peacefully," Chikaru smiled. "And you earned your rest after chasing after Keita, suguru and Kira all day yesterday. Besides the kids are all still asleep, so I can relax now and prepare breakfast a little later."

Shion looked at the closed curtains behind the windows of Shizuma and Nagisa's room. "Looks like those two are still asleep as well."

"They had some catching up to do," Chikaru nodded. "But I just hope to good they don't start over again when they wake up. I don't think our kids' delicate psyches can take it right now."

* * *

Shizuma lay one her side in the futon, a sleeping Nagisa nestled gently in her arms. Shizuma was usually an early riser, so she had spent plenty of time holding her Nagisa just like this. She gently stroked Nagisa's hair. The red-head was out like a log and Shizuma felt her chest slowly rise up and down. Everything was peaceful and serene.

Until the phone rang.

Shizuma cursed softly for not remembering to switch it off. Fortunately, the ring-tone was soft enough not to wake her sleeping wife. For someone who was on holidays to get away from the vagaries of daily life, Shizuma found she was spending entirely too much time on the phone. She waited a moment. The phone rang exactly two and a half times. Five seconds later, the phone rang again.

Shizuma smiled. The person calling was her father, using the code the two had decided upon.

It turned out to be a short, but very pleasant conversation. Father and daughter Hanazono called or e-mailed each other a lot more often than they had in Shizuma's days at Astraea Hill, and Shizuma was grateful for it.

One memorable exchange happened while Shizuma was attending a rather dull class and was typing notes on her laptop when her father e-mailed her the message 'This board-meeting is boring'. Shizuma quickly replied 'So is this lecture', to which her father replied 'I feel your pain'. This ended up becoming a jovial exchange of one-liner mails which lasted for about an hour, causing Shizuma to miss all of her lecture and her father to miss several presentations.

Shizuma sighed. She herself had been to blame for the lack of contact between her and her father. After Kaori's death she had effectively shut herself off from the world around her, and refused to have much contact with family or friends. She suspected that might also have to do with her father's many phonecalls: partly to get more involved in his daughter's life after a few years of near-silence, and partly to check if his daughter was still happy and things between her and Nagisa were still going swimmingly.

Shizuma's father was often doting... embarrassingly so. She remembered the first week in January this year, when the traditional coming of age ceremony of Seijin Shiki had taken place. All youths in Japan who would turn 20 the coming year were invited to their local government office to join in the festivities. Though she had already been 20 at the time, she had skipped it the year before, but decided to make up for it this year. She had worn the traditional furisode kimono with the matching wooden zori slippers and Nagisa accompanied her to the celebration.

Of course, her father was also there... and so was his camera.

Her father had taken hundreds of pictures of her, from every conceivable angle and distance. While the Mayor was holding his speech, her dad was interrupting everybody by walking around the podium and flashing pictures. The only reason that the Mayor hadn't called security to have him kicked out was that the Hanazono Industry Group had some major interests in the region.

And then, of course, he further embarrassed Shizuma by bringing several albums of pictures with him. He ended up showing her baby pictures to Nagisa... and everybody else who was interested. Especially that extremely embarrassing picture of her seventh birthday party, when an impatient Shizuma had managed to pull the birthday cake off the table and all over herself. Nagisa had found this all particularly funny.

But Shizuma was already plotting her revenge. Nagisa's Seijin Shiki would take place next January, after all. And Shizuma thought she would have little trouble getting Nagisa's parents to share some baby pictures of their daughter with her.

Shizuma smiled at the sleeping girl, thoughts of revenge quickly disappearing and she relaxed, thinking again about her father. He hadn't always been like this. So doting. So caring. He'd always been a workaholic, that much was true. Even moreso before her mother had died. Shizuma's mother had passed on when she'd been very young, and though she didn't understand at the time, her father was devastated by it. He became even more distant than he had been before, and was never around anymore period. But he failed to realize that he wasn't the only one who felt abandoned and alone.

And when Shizuma was only five years old, she stood up to her enraged father, when she had finally managed to catch him at home one day. "Ungrateful brat," her father had yelled at her. "I've given you everything. The most expensive toys money can buy, your own summer house, countless trips to France with your nanny. You name it, it's yours! What more do you want?!"

"A DAD!" the enraged five year old had shouted back.

Something had snapped in her father's mind after that, and she got the feeling he'd never tell her exactly what he felt that day. But all that matted what that he scooped up his little child and they both cried together, each for someone who was missing from their lives and could never be replaced.

Everything changed after that. Her father'd come home more often, he broke off Shizuma's engagement and promised himself to spend more time with her. It happened quite often in those days that he'd hold board meetings and that little Shizuma was sitting in the room playing with her blocks. One time, Shizuma had spent an entire meeting sitting on top of her father's shoulders. Of course, all the time he stressed that his board members should always be respectful to their future boss. He even went as far as to give one of the junior executives a big pay rise when he had been a good sport about being part of one of Shizuma's pretend-tea parties. Needless to say, little Shizuma never had lack of someone to play with after that particular incident.

It usually was quite a sight: three toadies in business suits sitting on the floor with a five-year old having a pretend tea-party.

Oh, she'd been spoiled rotten after that. Completely rotten. Her father had high hopes that she'd take over the company when she was old enough, but at the time, she was a young out of control teen. Shizuma considered that he had been right to send her to Miator to mature. And mature she did there, in more ways than one.

"Hmmmm," Nagisa stirred as her eyes fluttered open. Shizuma immediately let over her and kissed her on the cheek.

"Hi," Nagisa smiled and stretched, before starting to snooze into Shizuma's arms again. A tickle underneath her chin sent her back to the waking world.

"Morning, Nagisa," Shizuma smiled as the two of them shifted to lie underneath the rays of the sun pouring in through the window.

"Hmmm... I wonder what we're going to do today."

"Well," Shizuma smirked and softly blew past Nagisa's earlobe. "I have a good idea how to start off the day."

"Shizuma," Nagisa chuckled playfully. "I think we got all of two hours of sleep tonight and our futon has seen more than enough use today, don't you think?"

"Never," Shizuma smirked. "No rest for the wicked... or the sexy."

"I take it you're the wicked one and I'm the sexy one?" Nagisa giggled.

"You can be the wicked one, if you want to. Rrrwwwlll," Shizuma started nibbling on Nagisa's shoulder softly.

"Hm, maybe later," Nagisa said. "We should get up."

"Awwww..."

"Don't you want to have breakfast?"

"No," Shizuma pouted with a whiny voice. "Breakfast sucks..."

"Hanazono Shizuma, you can be so childish sometimes," Nagisa giggled.

Shizuma pouted again and rolled away on her side. "Of course, I have to be married to a horrid and cruel girl who only thinks with and only about her stomach."

"Oh?" Nagisa replied and pressed against Shizuma's back. Her hands snaked over her wife's body until they rested on her breasts. "Is this what you had in mind, then?"

Shizuma closed her eyes and let out a purr as Nagisa gently started to massage her breasts.

"Hmmmmm," Shizuma smiled. "I knew you'd come around..."

"Well, tough luck, sister, I'm getting some breakfast!" Nagisa giggled and withdrew. She jumped from the futon before Shizuma could react, reached for a nightshift, threw it over her head and ran out the door.

Shizuma sighed and smiled to herself. "Tease," she whispered to no one in particular. "Oh, well. Time to get up."

* * *

Outside, the three young hentais were standing in the shade at one of the corners of the Ryokan, comparing notes.

"God, did you hear them?" Keita said. "They must have been at it all night."

"Moans, wails, soft screams," Suguru smiled. "Oh, man, so hot!"

"Yeah!" Kira grinned. "Lesbians kick ass!"

"Yeah," Keita said. "Nagisa-san's so lucky. She gets to do Shizuma-san every single night!"

Kira sighed. "I wish I was Nagisa-san."

"Me too," Suguru said.

For a moment, the three boys imagined being Nagisa, ravishing the willing Shizuma and mentally assaulting every part of the silver-haired beauty's curvaceous body. The three boys sighed at the same time.

"Guys," Kira said. "I got something to show you. I picked this up from the hamper this morning."

Kira wished something from his pocket. It was a gently folded up piece of red cloth. Folded open, it was revealed to be a pair of silky red boxers.

"Boxers?" Keita asked.

"Yeah," Kira smiled. "They're Shizuma-san's!"

"Huh?" Suguru frowned. "How do you know?"

"Duuuuhhhh," Kira scoffed. "They're cherry red, silky soft and distinctively feminine."

"You realize what that means, right?" Keita smirked. "You realize what's been inside of these, right? Shizuma-san's..."

"WHHHOOOAAAAA!" the three boys gasped in unison, treating the pair of boxers as if they were a holy artifact.

"Yeah," Kira said. "Imagine... Nagisa-san has taken these off with her bare teeth so many times! And Shizuma-san's butt has been in her so many times and hugged so tightly that touching it is sorta like touching Shizuma-san's butt itself!"

The three boys quite sadly spent quite some time indirectly touching Shizuma's butt.

* * *

Oblivious to the sad display of perversion mere twenty meters away, Shion sat relaxing at the table sipping a cup of iced tea while Kaname and Momomi had already claimed their deck-chairs and were catching some early-morning rays.

Chikaru had gone inside to prepare breakfast for the still sleeping children. So far, the only children up with the three little perverts and just thinking about managing them put Shion in a foul mood.

Who was also in a foul mood was Takashi. The young anthropology student came out of the Ryokan service area wearing flip-flops, a bermuda and a black 'I love Gundams' T-shirt. In his hands he was wearing a large hamper filled with wet clothing from him and all of the girls which he was planning to hang out to dry.

"Takashi-kun?" Shion asked. "Something wrong?"

"Oh, it's nothing," Takashi sighed. "I just can't seem to find my favorite pair of boxers anywhere! I mean, I was sure I put them in the hamper, but they're not there anymore. No matter. They're hard to miss. Red and silky."

Shion spoke to Kaname and Momomi as Takashi was putting up the clothes. "Lazy bums," Shion chuckled. "It's only nine in the morning and you're already lazying about?"

Kaname lowered her sunglasses a little and looked over the rim with disdain in her eyes. "Of course," she said. "This is our holiday. We don't have to get up early for class. We don't have anything to do but lie around and relax, as people tend to do on holidays, Shion-kun."

"We're not the ones who foolishly gave away the free time they were entitled to to dedicate themselves to cater to mewing brats... or perverted brats, for that matter," Momomi chuckled.

"But..."

"Let it go, Shion-san," Takashi said gently. "Just look in their eyes. Kaname-san and Momomi-san may look as if they're relaxing, but a thousand cunning plots are shooting through their minds right now as we speak. These two could put Emperor Palpatine to shame, Shion-san."

"Give that boy a cigar," Kaname smirked.

"Hm," Kaname said as she peered into the kitchen. "Shizuma-sama and Nagisa-san are up too. They're both wearing loose-fitting summer frocks."

"Does that surprise you?" Takashi spoke, surprisingly coherent too considering his mouth was full of clothespins.

"Nope," Kaname broke in. "We all know why they wear that: Easy to lift up if in need of a quickie in the nearest broomcloset."

Shion crossed her arms. "Oh?" she smirked. "Is that why Momomi-kun is wearing a loose fitting summer frock as well?"

There was no verbal answer, but the sudden uncharacteristic blush on Momomi's face and Kaname's sardonic grin said it all.

A few moments later, a tired looking Shizuma stepped out into the sun.

"There's our contestant for the sex olympics," Kaname smirked. "Good morning, Shizuma-sama."

Shizuma half-smiled. "I know for a fact I'm not the only one with nocturnal activities in this Ryokan."

"True, but we're a bit more discrete about it," Kaname relaxed.

"Kana!" Momomi hissed. "Some privacy, please!"

"Sorry."

As Takashi withdrew inside the Ryokan and Kaname and Momomi resumed their early morning sunbath, it was Shion who approached Shizuma and motioned for them to move into the woods, into the coolness and out of earshot.

"Shizuma-sama?" Shion asked when they were in a small clearing near the Ryokan. "Might if I ask you a personal question?"

"I won't know if I object to your question until you ask," Shizuma said.

"Do you see me as a teacher?"

"Hm," Shizuma replied, sitting down next to Shion on a fallen log. "I expected you to ask a personal question about me not about yourself."

"Humor me, please."

"Do you want me to be totally honest?" Shizuma asked. "No. No, I don't."

Shion nodded. "It's different for Chikaru. It's almost her calling, you could say? Have you see her with the kids? She's witty, she's kind, she's... wonderful," Shion sighed. "All I can do is keep those three little bastards under control."

"That's a skill too," Shizuma said.

"I suppose," Shion shrugged. "But I'm not dedicated to teaching like Chikaru is. It's just something I think I can do."

"Is it something you want to see yourself doing the rest of your life?" Shizuma asked.

"That's the thing," Shion said. "I don't know. I never knew what I wanted to do with my life. I... If I wanted to, I could just sit at home and be filthy rich. I suppose my parent would support that way of life. But..."

"You're not one to sit idle," Shizuma said. "People who sit idle don't become student council president."

"Exactly," Shion said. "I was somebody at Astraea Hill. Council president, respected. I fell into a void after graduation. There's something to say against spending six years in seclusion. I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life, but I did know one thing..."

"What was that?"

"That I wanted to share it with Chikaru," Shion smiled. "Because I never wanted to be separated from her again. So when she applied to the teacher's academy, quite enthusiastically, I might add, I followed her. Not because I love teaching, but because I love Chikaru and because I want to spent all my time with her. Do you think that foolish?"

"No," Shizuma said. "But does Chikaru-chan know this?"

"I have no doubt she suspects," Shion smiled. "And with Chikaru, suspecting is the same thing as knowing. Did you know that Chikaru has two little brothers?"

"I believe she mentioned them a couple of times."

"Chikaru has such a nice family," Shion said. "The Minamoto's, well, they're much like hippies, really. Accepting, kind-hearted, open... they really went all out to make me feel welcome when Chikaru first brought me home with her to introduce me to her family."

Shion sat back and smiled. "I've never felt so accepted anywhere in my life, Shizuma-sama. And if you've seen Chikaru with her brothers... She always needs to have someone to look out for, Shizuma-sama. And, I hope that she'll be looking out for me as well."

Shizuma squeezed Shion's shoulder. "I can't imagine Chikaru-chan doing otherwise. She loves you. And you have the support of her parents as well. What about your parents, Shion-kun?"

Shion smiled to herself. "My parents' opinion doesn't really matter in my family. In my family, it's my grandmother's voice that matters," she sat back and smiled. "Toumori Tsuyuri, the grand matriarch of the Toumori family. She attended Spica about 60 years ago, and though she was married, she has had mistresses all her life."

Shizuma chuckled briefly. "Conservatives beware! We lesbians are surrounding you everywhere."

Shion smiled. "It wasn't as easy as that. When I first told my grandmother I was in love with another girl, she was against it."

"Truly?" Shizuma asked.

"She balked when she heard Chikaru wasn't from Spica."

"Ah, politics," Shizuma said.

Somewhere above them, a bird flew through the trees. The two girls looked up for a moment, then resumed their talk.

"But when she first met Chikaru and saw what a wonderful girl she is..." Shion smiled. "Oh, my grandmother would still prefer me to marry a man and keep the woman I truly love around as a mistress, but I can't live my life like that. That's a battle I still have to fight with my grandmother. May I ask you another personal question, Shizuma-sama?"

"Of course," Shizuma said.

"When you asked Nagisa-san to marry you, were you scared?"

"Now that IS a personal question," Shizuma smiled.

"You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

"It's alright," Shizuma said. "I don't know, really. I knew what I wanted and I knew I wanted Nagisa to share my life. It was just... waiting for the right moment, I suppose. I guess, sometimes that right moment gets dropped in your lap. But what I can tell you, is that that moment of fear will always come. If it's not there at the moment of the proposal, it will come later. I actually had it a few minutes before my wedding."

Shion picked a small box from her pocket and opened it. Inside was a golden engagement ring, a small collection of diamonds and sapphires set at the base. "D-do you think Chikaru will like it?"

Shizuma smiled and gently closed the box. "Shion-kun, Chikaru would like it even if it was a ring from a soda-can. As long as it comes from you. When are you going to ask her?"

"I don't know yet," Shion sighed. "But soon. Thank you for listening to me, Shizuma-sama. I know we weren't exactly friends, but it was nice to talk to someone who went through this before."

"We were friends until..."

"Politics got in the way. I understand."

Shizuma and Shion decided it was time to return to the Ryokan and no moment too soon. When they arrived, Nagisa was already calling out to everybody that breakfast was ready. Hungry as they were Kaname and Momomi were already going inside. Chikaru, on the other hand, stayed outside to meet Shion. Some of the children were awake as well, most obvious being little Futaba who was shyly approaching Shizuma.

"Uhm," she said and held out a small white flower. "Here. For you."

Shizuma smiled and sank to one knee. "Oh, that's a nice flower. Did you find it all by yourself?"

"Uh-huh," the girl nodded shyly. "It's a lily."

"Don't you want to keep it yourself?"

The girl vigorously shook her head. "For you."

Shizuma smiled and gently tied the white lily into the side of her long gray mane. "How do I look?"

Futaba's face erupted in a magnificent smile. "Beautiful! I'll go find more!"

As the child ran off, Shizuma turned to Shion and Chikaru.

"My," Shion smirked. "They start out young, don't they?"

"They sure do," Nagisa fumed with barely contained anger. "Where does she get off handing someone else's wife a lily of all flowers. A lily!"

"Nagisa?" Shizuma smirked. "Don't tell me... you're jealous."

Nagisa seemed offended. "Jealous? Me?! Hardly. I mean, that girl is just... She's only..."

"You ARE jealous," Shizuma teased. "You're jealous of a six-year old!"

"I am not! Hmpf."

Chikaru stepped in between the two quarreling spouses for a moment. "Don't be too harsh on Futaba-chan, but don't encourage her too much either. She lost her mother and her older sister in a car accident two years ago and only has her father now. She's always treating older girls as sister or mother."

"Poor kid," Shizuma shook her head.

"Yeah, it's sad," Nagisa said. "But still no excuse to act like a two-bit hussy."

Shizuma smiled, wrapped an arm around Nagisa's shoulder and led her inside. Chikaru and Shion stayed behind for a moment and when looking over her shoulder, Shizuma noticed the two were lip-locked in a rather passionate open-lip kiss. She was just about to lead Nagisa into the kitchen when she heard a cry of anger behind her. Shizuma looked over her shoulder again, and just caught a glimpse of young Keita standing in the yard taping Chikaru and Shion with a camera phone before the young boys ran off with an angry Shion in hot pursuit.

* * *

"What a day," Nagisa smiled as she finished brushing her hair. Shizuma was already in the futon, laying on her side waiting for Nagisa to come to bed. "I think my legs are about to fall off."

Shizuma and Nagisa had spent the remainder of the day at the beach fair, generally enjoying the attractions and eating themselves silly on ice-cream and cotton candy.

"I tell you, if I was a writer, I'd have enough material for a whole chapter of a book."

"If I were a writer, I'd be decidedly lazy and just say a lot of a stuff happened without writing about it," Shizuma replied.

"I'm tired."

"Well," Shizuma smirked. "I hope you're not _too_ tired."

Nagisa giggled. "Can't you think about anything else?"

"With you looking like that? No," Shizuma smiled. And Shizuma was right. Unless it was really cold, Shizuma was in the habit of sleeping naked, a habit which Nagisa had slowly been growing accustomed to as well. Nagisa crawled into the futon and embraced Shizuma.

Shizuma didn't hesitate for a moment, embraced her and treated her to a chaste kiss. Then a slowly deepening kiss on the lips. Then a slow yet passionate open-lip kiss. In the end, they were rolling around under the sheets kissing like a pair of madwomen.

"Wait," Nagisa whispered while Shizuma was bent over her and was nibbling on her collar-bone.

"Hm?" Shizuma replied while continuing to nibble.

"Who's the wicked one today?" her eyes shone with a naughty light. Shizuma lay on her back and found herself straddled by Nagisa. The red-head took her wrists and gently held them outstretched over her head while laying down on top of her wife.

Shizuma chuckled. It would be easy enough to take hold of Nagisa and flip her over, but Wicked Nagisa didn't show up very often, so she decided she'd enjoy the show.

Nagisa took two strips of silky cloth from a basket nearby and gently started to tie Shizuma's wrists to the mattress. After one hand was tied, Nagisa bent over to the other side of the mattress.

"Nice view," Shizuma smiled as she looked up and found Nagisa's lovely breasts hovering above her face.

"Hush, you," Nagisa giggled wickedly.

"Yes, mistress Nagisa," Shizuma replied softly.

Nagisa took a third strip of cloth and used it to blindfold her wife. She gently tied the blindfold in a knot and lay back Shizuma's head. "Are you comfortable?" she asked while sliding one hand alongside her body and over one of Shizuma's breasts to finally cup it gently for a moment.

"Yes," Shizuma grinned, but then fell into her role. "W-what are you p-planning, cruel mistress?"

"Silence!" Nagisa said, but Shizuma could hear the humor in her voice. "I'll decide when you can speak! I can give pleasure and I can take it away! Understood?"

"Y-yes."

"Yes who?"

"Y-yes, mistress N-nagisa..."

"That's more like it. Now, open your mouth."

Nagisa took a strawberry from the nearby basket and popped it in her mouth. She kissed Shizuma and gently pushed the strawberry forward with her tongue. Nagisa pressed down on Shizuma and the two women wrestled over the strawberry for a moment, their tongues sliding over each other and over the strawberry until the succulent fruit was mashed in half and both women conquered a piece.

"Lay still!" Nagisa demanded. Shizuma complied.

Nagisa took a small ice cube from the basket and briefly touched Shizuma's nose with it. As soon as Shizuma realized what it was, she was rife with anticipation. Nagisa took the ice cube and pressed it into Shizuma's skin. The silver-haired girl hissed with pain and pleasure as Nagisa started to slide the ice cube across her skin. Nagisa traced the path of the ice cube with the tips of her fingers as she slid it down, between Shizuma's breasts, ever down to trace a few circles around her belly-button, ever down until...

Shizuma arched her back and let out a silent wail as the ice cube slid across some rather sensitive parts of her anatomy.

This was just the beginning of the night, and Shizuma was about to find out just how wicked that cute innocent Nagisa could be.

"My god," Shizuma whispered. "I've created a monster."

"I told you to be silent," Nagisa replied harshly. "Naughty Shizuma has to be punished..."

* * *

It was late in the morning when Shizuma finally awakened. Her eyes fluttered open and she noticed she was still wearing the blindfold. Thankfully, it has shifted during the many passions and was only covering one eye. More disturbing, though, was that her arms were still tied to the futon.

Laying curled up against her lay Nagisa, once again having a cute innocent expression on her face. She slept peacefully and soundly.

Still, having been sleeping in this awkward position meant Shizuma felt very stiff. She stretched and tried to loosen herself.

"Nagisa?" Shizuma asked.

No reaction.

"Nagisa?" she asked again more loudly.

No reaction.

"Nagisa!"

Unfortunately, Nagisa was in deep slumber and quite possibly wouldn't wake up for a long time still. Honestly, nothing short of an Earthquake could wake Nagisa right now.

Shizuma tried to wriggle her wrists free and tried to get her fingers underneath the cloth, but it was no use: the knots were too secure for her to wriggle free and the only thing she got for her trouble was a pulled muscle in her back.

To add insult to injury, their pet cat sauntered towards Shizuma and looked at her with a silly expression for a moment. The cat seemed to shrug and curled up on the futon, pressing her hairy back against Shizuma's side.

"That tickles," Shizuma hissed, but the cruel Maneki wasn't interested. In the end, Shizuma lay tied up on her bed with her sleeping lover on top of her, a tickly cat laying at her side, a pulled muscle in her back and aching cramps in her upper arms.

Shizuma sighed and lay her head back on the pillow. "I have to go to the bathroom," she said to no one in particular.

* * *

Next on the release-list is Everybody Loves Yaya. Hopefully it won't take me as long as it did for this chapter of Summer Holiday.


	7. Chapter 7 : Memories

Whoa, it's been a long time since a new summer holiday. But I haven't forgotten about it, I assure you. A new part has been finished and is ready for release.

Disclaimer : As usual... I don't own a bloody thing. Though I have obtained some nice new Gundam figures since last time.

* * *

**We're all going on a... summer holiday**

**Chapter 7 : Memories**

_Nagisa's face was wet from rain, sea and tears. She was drenched as she sat on her knees in the darkness of night while water poured over the shattered deck of the Seahorse Merchanter._

_She still couldn't get her head around what had just taken place. It all happened so fast. So very fast._

_Nagisa was a passenger aboard this ship, a simple two day trip to another island nearby to visit her aunt. If only things were that simple. It was night at the time and Nagisa went out for a stroll on deck to watch the moon before she'd go to sleep in her passenger bunk. _

_And then..._

_Then..._

_"Ship Ahoy," had sounded from the crow's nest above, but his cheerful demeanor had soon afterwards transformed into utter, utter terror. "It's... the FLYING DUTCHMAN!"_

_It was over in less than a minute. Massive tentacles of a beast Nagisa had thought to be mythological surrounded the ship and soon tore it clean in half. Nagisa remembered screaming in sheer terror and holding on to a coil of rope for dear life as the Kraken started tossing sailor after sailor into its gaping maw. It had gotten a little hazy after that, but she recalled squeezing her eyes shut and hearing the sounds of wood snapping, bones crunching and water pounding on the deck. An alien sounded mixed in with the sound of carnage, and only later she realized that it had been her own screams. _

_She had passed out from exhaustion, but had somehow managed to hold on to the rope. Nagisa woke up laying on the remnants of the deck half submerged in the ocean. The Seahorse was no more than a shattered wreck clinging to life on top of a shallow reef._

_And things got even worse after that._

_As one half of the ship settled on the reef below the waves, a horde of monstrous half-fish half-men pirates stormed onto the deck, killing all who resisted. Nagisa was gathered up and sat on her knees, in a row of maybe a handful of survivors who were just as scared as she was._

_And then. HE appeared._

_The other fish-people treated him with the utmost of respect as she strolled on the shattered deck. A monstrous individual, he had octopus tentacles of a beard and a crab's claw instead of a hand. Nothing about this man was human, and barnacles even grew on his clothes._

_Nagisa trembled as the octopus-man stopped in front of her and knelt down. The octopus-man took a pipe from his pocket and with the finesse of his tentacle beard, lit it and took a puff. Then she remembered the bedtime stories: this octopus-man was none other than Davy Jones._

_Nagisa knew that she was doomed._

_"Tell me," Davy Jones asked in a thick scottish accent. "Do you fear Death?"_

_Nagisa trembled as Davy Jones looked upon her, with eyes that were not completely unkind. Nagisa could merely nod her agreement._

_"All your sins laid bare. All your deeds accounted for. What if I could offer you an escape?" Davy Jones started. "One hundred years of service on board the Dutchman, or perish on the spot. The choice is yours."_

_Nagisa looked up. She was no sailor. She had no nautical knowledge or experience whatsoever. And then she trembled even harder, for at that moment she feared a man with a prehensile tentacle beard like only a teenage Japanese girl could._

_Davy Jones narrowed his eyes, apparently picking up on Nagisa's fear. "Bah!" he spat. "Swabbing the deck is the only thing you're good for!"_

_Fear slid off Nagisa's shoulders. For a moment, though, she considered if she should be relieved or insulted. She chose to be relieved._

_Nagisa took a few deep breaths. The fishman behind her grabbed her hair, pulled her head back and put a dagger to her throat. She had been offered a choice that was no choice at all._

_The sound a pistol fired brought Nagisa back to reality. Suddenly the fishman holding her howled in pain and strong arms pulled her up and off the deck. When fear finally departed, Nagisa found herself standing on top of the mast being held by someone... someone warm and kind._

_The person who'd scooped her up was a flamboyant pirate-lady, dressed in an elaborate leather coat and an old but well-loved brown hat on top of her silver-haired head. She held a rope at the ready, to swashbuckle her way to safety with Nagisa in her arms._

_"Shizuma," Nagisa whispered at her secret lover._

_"Davy Jones!" she shouted down. "I have a debt to settle with you, but I will not settle it by sacrificing her! Savvy?!"_

_"Damn yer eyes, Shizuma Sparrow!" Jones spat._

_"That's __**Captain **__Shizuma Sparrow, thank you very much," Shizuma smirked. And with a whoop, she scooped up Nagisa and swung out into the mists. As an angry phantom, the Black Pearl appeared out of the mists and Shizuma landed deftly on the deck._

_"Alright, lads!" Shizuma shouted. "Full speed ahead! We're not out of the woods yet, we need to outrun the Dutchman!"_

_Nagisa felt safe among the familiar face, even though they were pirates. Mister Gibbs nodded to her, while Pintel and Ragatti were arguing amongst themselves as usual. And Shizuma..._

_"I think I've just earned myself a kiss," Shizuma smirked. "Savvy?"_

_"Savvy..." Nagisa replied and leaned in._

Nagisa's eyes slowly fluttered open, and she immediately squeezed them shut as soon as she started into the rays of the sun. Instead, she opted for a short snooze to reflect on her lovely dream. So nice...

It brought her back to the days of her first year at Astraea Hill, when she first started having erotic dreams about Shizuma. She smiled to herself when she remembered being so worried about not knowing if she talked in her sleep, since she was afraid Tamao-chan might find out about them.

Since then she'd found out reality was even better than her wildest dreams. Shizuma was a girl with a voracious sexual appetite, to say the least. She could be gentle, she could be tough, she could be submissive when she wanted to be and she could be domineering. But in any situation, Shizuma was the one who was in total control. Of course, Nagisa didn't mind at all. Memories of Shizuma's soft caresses this night made her blush.

There was certainly no shortage of lovemaking during this holiday, other than that horrible week after the jellyfish incident. There were no long days of study, no tiring papers to write or long nights at the library, which meant a lot of energy could be spent in less academic pursuits.

Of course, their relationship was a lot more than just a physical one. They were friends, lovers, confidantes, perhaps even soulmates, and they were dedicated to explore what life had to offer... together.

She had to admit that sometimes being with Shizuma was a bit overwhelming, though. Shizuma was, after all, filthy stinking rich. Shizuma took her to the most expensive restaurants, took her on holidays to exotic placed and had bought a very luxurious big apartment for the both of them to live in. Though she loved this, and loved being with Shizuma, Nagisa sometimes felt like a freeloader.

Shizuma had assured her that it was no problem and that just being together was what mattered to her. Nagisa resolved by taking Shizuma to the kind of dates she herself was more comfortable with: chats over lunch in coffee-shops at the mall, a bite at the local MosBurger or a trip to the amusement park. As long as they were together, it didn't really matter where they were.

At that moment, Nagisa longed for Shizuma's touch. She groaned slightly as she shifted and reached out to gently caress Shizuma's soft skin... but only felt her arm slam down against the bare futon next to her. Thinking that Shizuma might have rolled out of reach in her sleep, she stretched and felt around. But the futon itself was cold.

After forcing her eyes open, her suspicions were confirmed: Shizuma was gone.

She checked the clock and saw that it was usually early for Shizuma to be up and about. Shizuma was not an early riser. Usually, Nagisa would wake up first while Shizuma kept snoozing for a while longer and wouldn't get up until she absolutely had to... or until Nagisa kicked her out of bed, whatever happened first.

Nagisa sat up and reached for her shirt. It was only then when she realized what day it was. She smiled sadly for a moment.

She reached over to her phone and switched it on to see if she had any e-mails. She was just clicking through the first of many daily e-mails from Tamao when her phone rang.

"Shizuma, is that you?" Nagisa asked. "Oh... Hi, mom... Uh, no, I know know why Shizuma's phone is switched off. Dad's been trying to reach her? No, Shizuma's turned off her phone. She has something to think about and she doesn't want to be disturbed... EEEEH? Nani?! We are not having problems! ... No, I said nothing bad to her! ... NO! We're fine, we're not splitting up! ... Mom, stop crying, everything's alright between us! We're very much in love and not splitting up! ... No, we _DON'T_ need relationship counselling, because there's nothing wrong! No, I'm not in denial!"

Nagisa sighed when her mother was close to tears while blowing everything right out of proportion.

"What? No, we're not having problems in the bedroom," Nagisa spoke in a hushed tone even though she was the only one in the room. Her mom must have been reading Cosmo Japan again. "Yeah, I know lack of good sex can cause problems in a relationship, but we don't have that problem. Look, the only problem we have in the bedroom is that Shizuma isn't here right now... _NO, I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING TO DRIVE SHIZUMA AWAY_! Remember, you were the ones who were trying to split us up in the first place! ... What did dad just say? 'Why did she do this to me?' you say? Oh, come on, mom! Shizuma is not dad's cashcow! Huh? Oh yeah? Well, tell dad he's a jerk!"

Nagisa, already frustrated early in the morning, switched off her phone and tossed it aside. Her parents were very good at ruining everything early in the morning.

However, she did see the need to rectify one thing. She switched on her phone and dialed. "Mom. For the record... _SHIZUMA AND I ARE HAVING GREAT SEX_!"

After closing her statement with a rude nose, she switched off her phone, tossed it to the other side of the room and turned around in her futon for another hour of sleep to recover.

* * *

Chikaru was cleaning up in the Ryokan's kitchen. Today, it had her turn to get up early and make breakfast for the children and she had done her duty diligently. When the kids woke up, they found the table set and the breakfast ready to eat.

When dealing with young children, one thing a teacher developed was a sensitive ear. She listened for a moment, but only heard the sounds of soft murmurs and chopsticks ticking against porcelain, signifying that the kids were calm and eating.

The earlier sounds of Shion's shouts stopping three certain kids from starting a food-fight had now faded, fortunately. Chikaru had already cleaned the kitchen and was awaiting the return of the plates and crockery to be put into the dishwasher.

"You look sexy in a yellow apron," she heard whispered in her ear while two arms wrapped around her waist and a pair of lips pressed against the back of her neck.

Chikaru giggled and turned around in Shion's embrace, kissing her beloved on the lips for a moment. "Kids?"

"Pacified for now," Shion smiled. "And there's three boys who won't be causing you much trouble today. I threatened to staple their nuts to the wall with an electric stapler."

"You didn't!" Chikaru chuckled. "There is such a thing as taking discipline too far."

"I draw the line at nuclear assault, but will still condone the use of mustard gas as a disciplinary measure, especially on those three," Shion said deadpan. "Will you be alright alone?"

That much was true. The larder in the Ryokan had been well-stocked... for about ten people for two months. But since the Ryokan was now also being used by twelve kids and their two teachers, the larder was now completely devoid of anything edible. After all, young children had plenty of appetite.

"Can't be helped," Chikaru said. "We went through the entire larder and we need to refill."

"I've asked Momomi-kun to accompany me," Shion said. "She's also quite eager to hit the town to go shopping. Takashi-kun'll be giving us a ride. He'll be attending the Anime Convention in town. He's upstairs putting on his costume."

"Don't worry," Chikaru said. "If I run into trouble, I'll just ask Kaname-san to help me out. She'll be staying at the Ryokan, right?"

Shion chuckled. "Yeah, good luck with that," she said. "You'd be have more luck trying to bring peace to the Middle-East. Why don't you ask Nagisa-san or Shizuma-sama to help you out?"

Chikaru smiled sadly and walked over to the window to point outside. Shion followed and saw Shizuma sitting on a bench outside. She was wearing green slacks and a T-shirt that was about two sizes too small and hugged her body. Her bosom strained inside the T-shirt and the phrase 'Size DOES matter' was written on her chest.

"Pfft," Shion shook her head. "Showoff."

"Look more closely, Shion-koi."

And then Shion saw it. Rather than Shizuma's usual soft jovial expression, her current expression was devoid of emotion, much as she had been during her later years at Astraea Hill. She seemed lost in thought, miles away.

"She was there long before the sun came up," Chikaru said.

"What's with her?"

"Today. It's Kaori-chan's birthday."

"Oh," Shion said.

"Shizuma-sama usually spends this day in quiet contemplation and visits the temple to honor Kaori-chan's memory. I think she and Nagisa-chan will be away from the Ryokan all day today at least."

Shion and Chikaru set about making breakfast in silence.

"Chikaru-chan?" Shion asked.

"Hm?"

"What do you think it'd be like... to be married?"

"I don't know, really," Chikaru thought a moment. "What do you think?"

"I think we both have no idea what a good marriage is supposed to be," Shion mused. "My parents are... well... Their marriage is hardly perfect. There's no warmth there. I don't think there ever was."

"Strange, really," Chikaru said. "There's endless warmth and love between my parents, and yet they've never married. They never felt it was necessary for them to do so."

"Maybe it's between two people to decide," Shion said. "Maybe..."

"Hello, hello, hello," said Takashi as he stepped into the kitchen, interrupting the conversation. He was wearing a neat white uniform with golden finish, with a large belt and black boots. On his head was an expensive, yet very fake looking purple wig. "I'm ready to go. Are you and Momomi-kun ready, Shion-san?"

Shion was too busy trying to stifle her laughter to answer.

"Great costume, Takashi-kun," Chikaru said honestly while walking around him to examine the craftsmanship. "Who are you supposed to be?"

"Thanks," Takashi said. "I am Paptimus Scirocco!"

"Who?" Shion asked.

"Paptimus Scirocco," Takashi said. "One of the villains from Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam."

"Zeta Gundam?" Shion scratched her head. "There's a Zeta Gundam?"

"Philistine," Takashi shook his head. "It's the sequel to the original Mobile Suit Gundam."

"They made more than one?" Shion teased.

Takashi blinked. "Okay, I'm not speaking to you anymore for the rest of the day. Otaku have their pride!"

"Pffft, nerd," sounded from Kaname as she pushed past him and opened the doors to the larder. "Any bread left?"

"Sorry," Chikaru said. "We're all out. That's why Shion-koi and Momomi-san are going shopping later today."

"What?" Kaname blinked. "No bread? Yesterday we still had two loafs!"

"I had to make breakfast to the kids and... Well, we're out of everything, basically."

"Dammit, you gave the last bread to those mewing brats?" Kaname sighed. "Great, just great. What are Momomi and I supposed to eat?!"

"I still have some wasabi-rolls in the fridge," Takashi said. "You're welcome to them if you like."

Kaname scoffed. "Only you could eat wasabi-rolls at eight in the morning. What the hell are you supposed to be anyway?"

"Paptimus Scirocco," Takashi proudly announced.

Kaname shook her head. "Typical. I suppose you'll be painting your car yellow and rename it 'The O' to complete the picture, hm?"

Takashi's eyes lit up excitedly. "Ahah!" he pointed at her. "I knew it! You are a closet-otaku and this proves it!"

"What?!" Kaname narrowed her eyes. "I thought we were over this nerd-crap already!"

"Oh, yeah?" Takashi grinned. "Explain to me how you know the name and the color of Scirocco's personal Mobile Suit, then?!"

Shion frowned. "Yes. That does seem kinda odd."

"It's okay, Kaname-san," Chikaru said. "I used to watch Gundam with my dad all the time when I was little."

Kaname wasn't comforted by that in the slightest. "Goddammit, I am NOT a nerd!" she raged.

"So in denial," Takashi smirked... but then quickly ran out the kitchen after narrowly dodging a thrown meatcleaver.

* * *

Nagisa and Shizuma had been sitting silently in the back of a taxi, on their way to a nearby Shinto Shrine where Shizuma wanted to go to pay her respects and say a prayer for Kaori. In the two previous years, Nagisa had not been with Shizuma on this day for various reasons, so she had no idea what to expect.

"You never talk about religion much, Shizuma," Nagisa said.

"Hm," Shizuma looked out the window and then at Nagisa. "It's not that I don't believe in something greater than myself. I just think that... it's a lot more decentralized than most religions claim it to be."

"You always change the subject whenever I bring it up," Nagisa said.

Shizuma half-smiled. "I know. It's not something I like to talk about."

They again sat in silence when the taxi stopped. Moments later, nagisa stood next to Shizuma as she stood in front of the stairs which led to the shrine at the top of the hill. Shizuma approached the large red torii gate at the bottom of the stairs and bowed respectfully before passing through it and going up the stone steps. Nagisa followed two steps behind, equally in silence.

The path wound through the thick woods covering the hill. Ever so often, an lovely carved figure of a fox sat on a pedestal, keeping an eye over the visitors to the shrine, which the inari kitsune diligently guarded in their capacity of messengers to the kami.

Though Shizuma considered herself to be Shinto, she never struck Nagisa as being a particularly religious person. Also, Nagisa knew very little of Shintoism aside from the basics. Although she was Japanese, she was born and raised as a good Catholic girl and her parents had always discouraged contact with other religions for fear it would stray her off the path of the One True Faith. Of course, in Japan it was quite difficult to completely avoid Shintoism and Buddhism, as Christianity was very much a minority religion.

They finally arrived at the shrine, which consisted of three buildings. Shizuma stepped onto the gravel stones, making them rustle underneath her feet as she walked. A red and white clad miko, about fourteen years of age, bowed politely. It was a gesture which Shizuma and Nagisa both returned. Shizuma stepped inside the main building and fished a 500 yen coin from her pocket. She tossed it into the barren wooden box in front of her and grabbed the large cordon next to it to give it a hard yank.

A gong sounded through the building and Shizuma folded her hands together and bowed her head in a few moments of prayer. Afterwards, she returned to the miko and bought a small wooden plank with a ribbon at the top. She stood at the desk for a moment and wrote a message for Kaori on it. A few moments later, after the ink had had a chance to dry, Shizuma walked outside and hung it from a rack where the other prayer-planks hung from. Wishes, prayers and messages for the kami abound, both on the rack holding the wooden boards, as well as on the racks holding scraps of folded paper.

Then, Shizuma found a small stone bench and sat down in quiet contemplation. Nagisa sat down next to her.

"Our father who art in Heaven," Shizuma looked and saw that Nagisa had her eyes closed and her hands folded. "Though I never knew her, I ask you to watch over the soul of Sakuragi Kaori, whether she be in Heaven or has taken her place amongst the Kami, for she is important to the person I love the most in this world. I pray for her safety and for her happiness in the life which cometh after. Please soften my Shizuma's sorrow this day with your everlasting love. Amen."

Nagisa tapped a cross for finish her prayer and opened her eyes.

"Nagisa?" Shizuma whispered while she gently took Nagisa's hand. "Thank you."

"Are you okay, Shizuma?" Nagisa asked, but regretted asking this as soon as the words left her mouth. From her mood and her expression, Nagisa could tell that her beloved wife was anything but okay.

If Shizuma was offended, she didn't show it. She managed a weak smile and pulled Nagisa to her.

"No," she spoke honestly. "I'm glad you're with me today."

"I'll always with with you," Nagisa said while laying her head on Shizuma's shoulder. "You can tell me everything, Shizuma. Tamao-chan always says that talking helps."

"Hm," Shizuma smiled in spite of herself. "Well, since Tamao-san is wiser than Buddha, Ghandi and Nietzsche combined, she must be right."

"Don't make fun," Nagisa mock-pouted.

Shizuma sat back and smiled as she relived a pleasant memory.

"I think I fell in love with Kaori the moment I first saw her," Shizuma. "It was in the Sister's office. I remember being quite pissed at having a little kid to have to look after. Miyuki practically had to drag me over there. I thought Kaori would cramp my style. But... when I saw her, I saw so much zest of life in such a small package. Kaori wanted to experience so much, could get enjoyment out of such little things..."

"She must have been very special to convert you from your wicked womanizing ways," Nagisa giggled.

Shizuma smirked and gently grabbed Nagisa's nose. "Hey," Shizuma whispered. "You have the same quality, mrs Aoi-Hanazono. And don't you forget it."

A blushing Nagisa soon had her nose released. Shizuma's jovial mood disappeared quickly and a harsh look crossed her gentle features. "Little did I know that, even then, Kaori was already living on borrowed time. For every hour we danced, for every hour we talked, for every hour we spent together, she spent two being hooked up to that goddamn machine. God, how I hated that machine. Ironic really, since it was that machine which made it possible for Kaori to be with me just a little longer."

"So many hours of her life on that damn dialyses machine, waiting for a kidney to become available. A new kidney would have halted the degeneration of her heart and internal organs," Shizuma sighed. "She hated the idea that somebody had to die so that she could live, you know? That's the kind of person Kaori was."

"I would be... morbid, I think," Nagisa replied.

Shizuma sat back and smiled. "I would gladly have given her one of mine, if only our blood types would have matched. I loved her that much."

Nagisa took Shizuma's hand and squeezed it slightly while laying her head on Shizuma's shoulder again.

"I even looked into the possibility of buying a kidney for her," Shizuma said. "In some countries, poor people sometimes sell their kidneys to buy a house or pay off a debt. But when I told Kaori I was looking into that, she just... exploded."

Shizuma took a moment to chuckle. "God, it was unbelievable. I'd never seen anything like it. She was so incredibly angry. Her eyes were like that of an oni from the depths of gaki-do... I backed away into a corner without realizing it. There's no way she wanted to be involved with organ traders who exploited people so poor they had to sell pieces of her own body. She didn't talk to me for a week after that."

Shizuma bowed her head. "The sad thing is that a kidney was available a few months later, but... by then her heart had weakened even more, and the doctors said she would have never come out of the surgery alive. So then the doctors didn't give her the kidney, and all we could do was wait for the inevitable. But she lived, Nagisa. Kaori knew she was going to die, but decided she would live those last few months to the fullest. That's why we entered the Etoile election together."

"Oh, Shizuma," Nagisa wiped away a tear which was running down Shizuma's cheek.

"I love you so much, Nagisa," Shizuma said. "And I'm so happy you're in my life. But on days like these, I can't help but wonder what my life would have been like if Kaori would have gotten a new kidney. What if we'd been together today. It's the kind of question that could drive someone crazy."

Nagisa wondered. "So many things would be different. I don't like the idea that you and I never would have become lovers, though."

Shizuma smiled. "Almost a year after Kaori's death, I visited her mother. Up until then Sakuragi-san thought that we were just good friends. But I needed to tell her the truth, as much for myself as for honoring Kaori's memory. After I had told her how much we had meant to each other, her reaction was... explosive. She called me a liar and a degenerate and told me to leave the house before she'd call the police."

"Oh, no," Nagisa whispered. "But... you still call her every year, don't you?"

"Or visit if possible," Shizuma smiled. "Yes," she said. "When Sakuragi-san was over the shock, she called me up and asked me to meet her so she could apologize. We talked for hours and in the end she was happy that Kaori had been able to experience true love before her death."

"Shizuma?" Nagisa asked. "This forest is so nice. Shall we go for a walk? And talk? Just talk?"

"Yes, that sounds nice," Shizuma said while holding her wife tightly. "I love you, Nagisa. I never want to be alone."

"You won't be," Nagisa said sincerely. "You'll never be alone again."

* * *

"Keep those brats quiet!" Kaname shouted up as Chikaru was herding yet another stray child upstairs while ordering one of the more responsible older girls to make sure the others would stay put in the common room.

All day long this was going on. All fucking day long. She had been having trouble concentrating on her reading because every single time, there was one brat or another running through the house making a lot of noise. Trust Minamoto Chikaru to fill a peaceful Ryokan which she and a few, only a few, people had all to themselves with a lot of mewing loud-mouthed brats.

But then again, Minamoto always was a soft-hearted shrew known for taking in strays. She pitied Shion, in a way. If Minamoto ever got it in her head to start a shelter for stray cats, her home'd be filled to the brim with them in no time.

Kaname put down her book and picked up the newspaper. There was no way she'd be able to delve into string theory with all those kids around, so she might as well check out the news. Besides, some juicy stories about earthquakes and floods in poor countries might cheer her up.

"Kaname-san?" Kaname looked up to see Chikaru standing over her, flashing that charmingly insidious 'I'm about to ask a favor'-smile of hers.

"What is it?" Kaname hissed.

"I was bringing the younger kids to bed for their midday nap and I'm afraid little Renji wet his bed after I just tucked him in," Chikaru said.

"How's that my fault?" Kaname narrowed her eyes. "You're not expecting me to clean the sheets, are you? Because if you are, you can just go..."

"Hold that thought," Chikaru broke in. "I'll change the sheets. All I want you to do is to check on the kids I haven't tucked in yet. Simple enough job for you, wouldn't you say?"

Kaname thought for a moment. "Got any money?"

Chikaru frowned. "But... you own about endlessly more money than I have."

Kaname shrugged. "It's the principle of the thing, isn't it?"

Chikaru sighed and drew her wallet. She fished a 1000-yen note from it and handed it to Kaname.

"Ta very much," Kaname stood up and pocketed the banknote. "So, where's the kiddies?"

Chikaru led Kaname upstairs, where they could already heard Renji's embarrassed wails. "I'll tend to Renji. Will you check up on Juri and Akagi?"

Kaname sighed and went inside Juri's room, where she found the young blue-haired girl looking up at her expectantly.

"So," she said. "What's your problem?"

"Kaname-san?" Juri asked. "Could you check if there are any aliens under my bed."

Kaname cursed for a moment. "Look, kid... you're sleeping on a futon. There's no aliens under there unless they're flat as a pancake!"

"C-could you check all the same?" Juri asked.

Kaname sighed and bent over. She grabbed the futon by the edge and whipped it up in the air, sending Juri falling out and rolling over the wooden floor. "Nope," Kaname said. "No aliens." Kaname tossed down the futon, grabbed Juri, threw her on the futon and tossed the blankets over her. "Now go to sleep. NEXT!"

"Y-you're one of them!" Juri wailed as Kaname paraded out the door.

She entered the next room, which was already darkened. Akagi was already in his futon. "So," Kaname asked. "What's your problem, kid?"

"Will you check the closet?" Akagi pointed to a closet in the corner of the room. Its door was ajar and, to a kid's eye, looked very ominous. "I... I think there's a monster in there."

Kaname sighed heavily and stalked over to the closet. She opened the door and peeked inside. Without saying a word, she closed the door and walked back to Akagi.

"You know, you're absolutely right," Kaname said. "There is a monster in there. And as soon as you're asleep, it's going to come out and sneak up to you, kill you slowly and devour you piece by piece. Tough luck, buddy!"

"B-b-b-b-b-ut... WAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"Oh, be quiet and die with some dignity already, sheesh," Kaname snorted and stepped out the door... only to be met with an angry glare from Chikaru.

"You call this helping?" Chikaru narrowed her eyes and rushed inside to comfort the crying Akagi.

"Hey, these kids could use some toughening up," Kaname shrugged. As Chikaru did her best to cheer up Akagi, Kaname seized the moment to sneak off. In only a few seconds later, she found herself in the room Chikaru shared with Shion. As expected, it was perfectly clean and organized... Shion's touch. Kaname picked up Chikaru's diary, which she had carelessly left on the writing desk. Kaname leafed through it, and sifted through the many entries penned in a multitude of colored pens. Here and there was a colorful drawing or a picture clipped, but it held little interest for Kaname.

She took note of a few useful things she sifted from the myriad of entries about Chikaru's hopes, dreams and feelings, but lacked the time for a more in depth study. She replaced the diary exactly the way she had found it and continued her investigation.

Being Kenjou, she had a nack for finding things hidden. She was not surprised to discover a well-hidden secret compartment in Shion's suitcase.

"My, my, my," Kaname whispered as she picked up a small box from the secret compartment. "What's this?" she said while looking at a rather expensive looking engagement ring. She turned it around between her fingers and saw an inscription : 'Toumori Shion and Minamoto Chikaru. Together forever.'

She grinned like a cheshire cat. Never missing the opportunity for mischief, Kaname flicked the ring in the air, deftly caught in and pocketed it swiftly. She replaced the small box and closed the suitcase, then left the room as if nothing had happened.

* * *

Shizuma and Nagisa had returned from their trip to the shrine, and to Nagisa, Shizuma looked very much at peace. Their taxi pulled into the parking lot and the two girls got out. Nagisa knew that Shizuma'd still have a lengthy phonecall with Kaori's mother to make, but the visit to the shrine had done her wife good.

Nagisa smiled as she held her Shizuma by the arm. Their bliss was interrupted when she heard a squeal coming from one of the upper windows. A few moments later, little Futaba came running out of the front door, holding a bouquet of lilies. The happy six-year old held it out for Shizuma to take.

"Is that for me?" Shizuma knelt down to one knee while Nagisa crossed her arms and glared at Futaba.

"Hug from nee-sama!" Futaba demanded. Shizuma complied, scooped the child into her arms and returned the hug.

Behind Shizuma, Nagisa started to tap her foot impatiently. As Shizuma started to carry Futaba inside, the little girl made an angry face at Nagisa and stuck out her tongue.

Shizuma carried the child inside and set her down. "Now, I'll just go find a vase to put these in and then we'll go look for a nice place to put it where everybody can see it."

As Shizuma headed into the storage room, Futaba turned to Nagisa. "Hm," she smiled. "Though the power of the lily, love between me and nee-sama will grow! Nee-sama and I will live in a big house with lots and lots of flowers and candy."

Nagisa narrowed her eyes. "Your 'nee-sama' happens to be my wife, you little pipsqueak! And she lives with ME!"

"Yeah?" Futaba matched Nagisa's expression. "Well, see if you can _KEEP_ her, then!"

And that was the start of a glaring contest which was so intense it was as if thunderclouds were spontaneously forming above their heads.

Chikaru was only too happy to help Shion and Momomi bring the groceries from the car to the larder inside. Though Shion had brought the basics such as bread and fruit, Momomi's touch was easily seen. The groceries also included caviar, truffles, expensive chocolate, quail eggs and a square watermelon, after all.

It was also obvious that Shion had done most of the food shopping, since the car was also filled with a myriad of dresses, shoes and summer hats. None of which were to Shion's taste.

"Where is Takashi-kun?" Chikaru asked.

Shion shrugged. "He met a cosplayer dressed as Haman Karn and went home with her. He told us not to wait up."

"Nerd-love," Momomi smiled. "I trust Kaname has behaved?"

"She's been nasty to the children and yelled a lot," Chikaru shook her head.

"Then she has behaved," Momomi smirked. "I mean, the Ryokan hasn't been burned down and the children haven't been sold into slavery, after all. You had her on a good day."

"I can never tell if you're pulling my leg or not," Chikaru replied. "In any case, you'll find her in the common room reading to the children. I asked her to do while we're preparing the evening meal."

Momomi chuckled. "You left her alone with the children? Yare, yare... well, it's to your discretion, I suppose."

Suddenly, Chikaru was rather worried and was struck by the desire to quickly check up on the children. She rushed into the common room reading to the children. Still, all was not well. Some of the children, especially the younger ones, were pale as a sheet and were huddled together, while the three troublemakers were cheering Kaname on to read further. Something was definitely wrong here.

"So, another one goes in. More blood and screams," Kaname droned. "Oh, yeah, she's definitely in pain. Next panel... Oh, yeah, she gets ripped apart. There's blood and guts and ribs and a liver all flying over the place," she held up the manga for the kids to see. Most of them recoiled, except for three very excited boys.

"What the..." Chikaru snatched the manga away from Kaname. "_UROTSUKIDOJI?!_ You're reading Urotsukidoji to young impressionable minds?!"

Kaname shrugged. "Hey, you paid me to read to the kids, but you didn't specify _what_ I should read to them. I found this among that stack of manga's over there and it seemed to be a good pick. I mean, demonic tentacle rape is a part of Japanese culture, so the kids have to learn about it sooner or later. Today's cute toddler is tomorrow's pervert, after all."

"Says someone who forces herself on the younger students," Chikaru narrowed her eyes. "No more reading today!"

"Says you!" Kaname challenged and snatched back the manga. "I'm continuing this reading in the other room. The _cool_ kids can join me."

"Sugoi!" spoke Suguru, Keita and Kira as they quickly followed Kaname into the hallway.

Chikaru shook her head. "Honestly, some people," she whispered before setting to comfort the frightened children.

In the meantime, little Futaba looked around her, at Chikaru and then at the rest of the kids... before excitedly slipping away into the hallway, eager to join the 'cool' kids and hear the rest of the story.

* * *

Next story will be either Summer Holiday 8 or a totally new story about Chikaru and Shion. I haven't yet decided. I do have plenty of ideas to work out, though, including a sequel to summer holiday in which Nagisa and Shizuma'll try to enter the job market and a possible sequel to everybody loves Yaya in which Peter comes to Astraea Hill. Plenty of stuff to write, in any case. Stopani is pretty inspirational. :)


	8. Chapter 8 : Girls in Plaid

It's been a while since I've posted a new Stopani story-chapter, but I'm hopefully back in form now. I actually wanted to have this chapter out yesterday, but the latest episode of Sam and Max being released threw a wrench in that plan. :) Hope you'll enjoy the chapter, though.

* * *

**We're all going on a... summer holiday**

**Chapter 8 : Girls in Plaid**

A few days ago, Chikaru had the brilliant idea to take the kids and invite everyone along to the nearby ice-skating rink. Not only would it provide some cool during the heatwave, but many of the children had never had the opportunity to ice-skate. It was a fun idea. It was a good thing for the children. It was a wonderful way to spend the afternoon.

But right now, Shizuma hated Chikaru's guts for it.

The day started out so nicely for her. A field trip with the kids, enjoying some of her free time with Nagisa, trying something new. Plus, she got to wear something nice: a lovely white dress with a rather short skirt. No doubt she'd be on the wishlist of many girls on the rink... if only her skating wasn't so sub par.

While desperately trying to hang on to one of the railings at the side of the rink, Shizuma tried not to fall by wildly flailing her feet to try to catch her skates into the ice somehow. It was a tireless struggle, an endless fight, which she eventually lost. With a yelp, she ended up sitting with her butt on the cold ice.

"Kaname," she heard Momomi say from a reasonable distance away. "Look! There's something Shizuma-sama can't do!"

"Oh, this I must see!" called Kaname, a bit too enthusiastically for Shizuma's liking.

Determined not to lose face to the likes of them, Shizuma grabbed the beam and tried to lift herself up, but she only succeeded in grinding the ice with her skates.

"My, my, my," Kaname taunted as she skated by, making a small pirouette and ended up skating backwards for a moment. "Having some trouble, Shizuma-sama?"

_'I'm gonna grab your head and ram it through the plexiglass spectator windows,' _she thought. "I'm FINE!" was her angry, verbal reply.

Momomi, with Chikaru in her wake, came to the spot where Shizuma was sitting. "Are you having fun?" Momomi asked, barely hiding a sadistic smirk.

_'I'm gonna take these skates and shove them right up your throat,'_ she thought. "Yes... very..." she hissed.

Chikaru was upon her, and together with Momomi, she hoisted her to her feet by the shoulder. Unfortunately, Shizuma lost her footing almost immediately and ended up sliding across the rink on her back.

"Oh, my, are you alright?" Chikaru asked.

_'And you, the evil mastermind of this... insanity. I'm going to tie you to that big ice-sweeper over there and drive circles around the track at full speed while your cheek is on the ice!'._ "NO!" Shizuma replied.

Momomi and Chikaru shared a look and gently hoisted Shizuma to her feet. Doing their best to support her, Shizuma managed to find her footing on the skates... provided she kept her legs absolutely still.

"Don't worry," Kaname said as she skated a few circles around the trio and ended her taunt by racing away with great speed. "You'll get the hang of it yet, Shizuma-sama!"

Shizuma muttered a few harsh Japanese expletives under her breath. Momomi and Chikaru held Shizuma tight enough to leave her standing upright. Meanwhile, Shizuma felt quite embarrassed to see most of the children and most of her friends skating along the track of the rink as if they were olympic contestants. Even the six year old little Futuba was racing along. And here Shizuma was: being held tightly by two of her friends to prevent her front falling on her ass.

Nagisa skated up to the trio and skidded to a halt. "Are you okay, Shizuma?"

Shizuma regarded Nagisa, who was obviously better at skating than she was. Nagisa looked at Shizuma's predicament and visibly suppressed a giggle.

"Et tu, Nagisa?" Shizuma sighed.

"I'm sorry, Shizuma," Nagisa smiled and touched Shizuma's arm. Unfortunately, that little shift in weight caused Shizuma to loose her footing once more. She slipped from Chikaru and Momomi's grasp and ended with her butt on the ice again.

Though Shizuma had to admit that Nagisa looked very kawaii in her short skirt, the fact that Nagisa was giggling at her wasn't encouraging. Once again, Momomi and Chikaru hoisted her to her feet.

"I wish I'd stayed at the Ryokan with Takashi-kun. A Lucky Star marathon sounds very appealing compared to this," Shizuma hissed. All around her, children were laughing, adults were chatting as they had a wonderful time... it only caused more thunderclouds to form over Shizuma's head.

"Aw, don't talk like that," Nagisa smiled and took over from Momomi. "We'll help you, Shizuma. You just concentrate on standing up. Let Chikaru-chan and I do the work."

"Yes," Chikaru smiled. "Just trust us."

Shizuma sighed and steeled herself. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Shion skating alongside a few of the kids who were having a little trouble keeping their footing. She took solace in the fact that she wasn't the only one having trouble, even if those kids were about 12 years younger than she was.

Nagisa and Chikaru took her by the arms and gently started skating. Shizuma was certain to keep her skates pointed forward and stood on the ice stiff as a board. But as the three of them started to gain momentum, fear made place for fun.

"Shizuma, we'll be making a slow turn ," Chikaru announced. As the trio turned, Shizuma gently leant to the right to take the turn. They did this for three laps and Shizuma was getting more confident.

"Okay, Shizuma," Nagisa said as the trio slowed down somewhat. "We'll release you on the count of three and then you can slowly skate out on your own. Just keep still until you stop. Ready?"

"Ready!" Shizuma said confidently.

"Alright. One... two... three!"

Chikaru and Nagisa released Shizuma and the silver-haired beauty shot forward. At first Shizuma greatly enjoyed it, as she had the feeling she was skating on her own. Unfortunately, wonder soon made way for slow dawning horror for three very simple reasons:

A. She wasn't slowing down.

B. For some reason she couldn't get her feet and thus her skates to cooperate.

C. She was fast approaching the side of the rink at full speed.

"SHIZUMA!" she heard Nagisa call out and from the sounds of her skates frantically digging into the ice, she was on her way to help her. But it was already too late.

While spouting some very colorful and not to mention vulgar Japanese expletives, Shizuma collided with the railing. Her momentum caused her to fall on her back and slide against the spectator benches beyond. She ended up laying sprawled in a very undignified heap with her legs in the air.

Unfortunately, she had ended up right at the spot where three familiar boys were just putting on their hockey-skates. The three boys were transfixed to the spectacle in front of them.

"P-p-pantsu..." Kira, Keita and Suguru whispered while blood spurted from their noses and they fell backwards in a state of panty-shot induced stupor.

"Shizuma!" Nagisa said as she was at her wife's side. "Are you okay?"

"NO!" Shizuma replied sharply.

"S-stripes," Kira whispered to himself.

"Oh, dear," Chikaru said. "I think we can't manage this on our own, Shizuma-sama. I'll call over the instructors to give you some beginner's lessons."

For Shizuma, this day was just one indignity stacked upon another. While the others were greatly enjoying themselves on the rink, Shizuma found herself tightly holding a metal rack while being lined up in the beginner's class listening to a kindly instructor. She was towering over the rest of class, which consisted of children younger than ten.

Oddly enough, Shizuma noticed little Futuba was standing next to her. Rather near her, in fact.

"Futaba-chan?" Shizuma asked. "What are you doing here? I saw you skate like a pro."

"Because she doesn't know anyone in class, I thought I'd keep Shizuma nee-sama company," Futaba smiled.

"Uh, did you just peek up my skirt?"

"Sorry," Futuba blushed. "I couldn't help it. I'm very little... but I like the stripes a lot!"

Once again, Shizuma wished she had never come to this damn iceskating rink.

Elsewhere, Keita, Suguru, Kira and Kaname were preparing for a hockey match against a small team of local children. Kaname was acting as team coach and strategist and had called the boys to her. "Alright lads," she said. "We're playing to win here. So, Keita, I've noticed you're rather good at sharp turns. Remember when you're skidding across the ice, you can dig your skates down and spray the other kids with sharp shards."

"Hai!" said Keita.

"Kira," Kaname said. "When you get the chance, mash your skate against the foot of that fat kid over there. Do you know what you have to say?"

"Hai! 'Sorry, I didn't see you. Does it hurt?'."

"Excellent," she smiled. "Now, Suguru. Have you been practising your hockey-stick moves? How to hook someone's leg without anyone thinking it was deliberate, I mean."

"Ahum," sounded from behind them. Kaname turned around and smirked.

"Chikaru-kun," she nodded. "Here to watch us play?"

"You should be ashamed of yourself, Kaname-kun," Chikaru stressed. "Teaching these kids how to cheat... Playing hockey is about having fun and making new friends."

"Bullshit!" Kaname retorted. "It's war! And when are kids having more fun then when they're winning... by any means necessary. When one is not skilled, one needs to be underhanded."

"Yeah, I like to win," Keita said.

"Me too!" Kira added.

Chikaru narrowed her eyes at Kaname slightly. Her expression softened when she looked at the three boys. "Boys," she started softly. "What's the point of winning if you haven't earned it through skill and team-work? What's the point of playing at all if you and the other team aren't having fun?"

"Chikaru-sensei," Suguru shrugged. "Be honest... we suck at hockey."

"Yeah, and we wanna win!" Kira said. "Kaname-san is helping us win."

"You heard it," Kaname crossed her arms and smirked victoriously. "Why don't you make yourself scarce, Chikaru-kun. I'll handle things from here. Go play with the little kiddies for a while. Do what you're good at."

Chikaru was about to give a less-than-friendly retort when Shion came skating onto the hockey patch. She stopped next to Chikaru, and gave her a brief kiss on the cheek. "Don't worry, Sweetness," Shion turned towards the hockey-group. "I'll keep an eye on these three misfits... and Kaname-kun."

The boys grumbled while Shion seemed determined to make sure that if any of the other kids got hurt, the three boys would get hurt as well. Kaname just smirked: they'd still cheat, but now they'd have to be a little more subtle about it.

* * *

About an hour later, Shizuma was ready to down her sorrows in some nice cold icecream. After the adventures on the skating rink, Chikaru and Shion had brought the children to a nearby icecream parlor to enjoy a cold refreshment.

And Shizuma could definitely use it. The past hour, she'd fallen multiple times, slid across the ice, collided with other skaters, collided with the railing, ended up accidentally giving out gratuitous panty-shots whenever she fell down. And then there was the time she had her butt groped by the so innocent looking Futuba, and she still wondered if it was deliberate or an accident like little Futuba had claimed.

Still, it wasn't all bad. At the very end, her beloved wife had taken her by the arm and she had led along the rink. She'd felt perfectly safe and happy that moment... until she collided with Kaname and the three of them ended up sprawled onto the ice. Shizuma chuckled briefly: it had served Kaname right for not looking where she was going.

She took another bite from her strawberry icecream. In fact, all the kids were enjoying their icecream but her wife was still waiting on hers.

The icecream was delicious. But then the waitress came with Nagisa's ice-cream... and it left everyone completely stunned, including not easily amazed people such as Kaname and Momomi.

In front of Nagisa stood the 'Super Baka Hyper Mega Chocolate Ice-Cream Deluxe Cherry KillerRobo Tray'-special. A huge bowl containing balls of icecream of 30 different tastes covered with chocolate sauce, strawberries and a large cherry on the top. The bowl was decorated with a dozen paper Japanese flags and four sticks of decorative fireworks.

"Hmm, yummy," Nagisa said as she started to dig in with her spoon.

"W-wow," Chikaru blinked.

"I can feel my arteries clogging just by looking at it," Momomi gulped.

"I think that icecream has a higher total mass than Nagisa-san has," Kaname scratched the back of her head.

"I think Nagisa-san'll be so round she won't be able to get through the door," Shion said with eyes as big as saucers.

"Oh, trust me," Shizuma smirked with a reasonable amount of pride. "Nagisa will eat this to the very last drop!"

"You better believe it!" Nagisa said with her mouth full of icecream and chocolate.

"Where did you learn to skate so well, Nagisa-chan?" Chikaru asked.

Nagisa shrugged. "I used to do a lot of skeelering when I was younger. It's not so different from skating."

"Heh," Momomi shook her head. "My mother was a failed figure skater. So in my case, it was a parent trying to foist her shattered dream off on her kid sorta deal. Or at least it was until I turned old enough to to put her in her place."

"I learned it from Momomi," Kaname grinned.

"Spica ice-skating club," Shion said.

"My father took me skating when I was a little girl," Chikaru said. "I guess it stuck with me."

Kaname grinned as she turned to Shizuma. "Here's a better question. My does Shizuma-sama suck so hard at skating? I just have to wonder. I mean, you're good at everything. Every student at Astraea Hill idolized you. You only had a snap your fingers and a dozen lovers'd come running towards you from every direction. My, my, my, I wonder what those girls would say if they saw you lying sprawled on the ice trying to get up."

"I'd tell them to get lost!" Nagisa broke in. "Because they'd better stay away from my wife!" she stressed and narrowed her eyes at little Futaba who was eating her icecream some 3 meters away. The toddler responded by sticking out her tongue and making a rude noise.

"Futuba-chan, Nagisa-san," Shion said. "Behave yourselves!"

"She started it!" Nagisa and Futuba replied at the same time. But all the while when they were eating the icecream, they kept trying to stare each other down.

While the discussion continued, and while Shizuma tried to remain as dignified as possible, Chikaru took Shion's hand.

"Shion-koi," she whispered. "You look so tired."

Shion looked over her shoulder to keep an eye at the kid's table. No food fights had broken out yet, so she relaxed somewhat. "I feel tired," she replied. "I haven't had much rest the past couple of weeks."

"We'll have a few days for ourselves before we have to get back to the academy," Chikaru smiled. "We could find ways to relax."

"Yes," Shion sighed. "About... the academy."

"What about it, Shion-koi?"

"I... There's something I... have to tell you... I... DAMMIT, KIRA-SAN! GET THAT ICECREAM SPOON OUT OF KIRAYOSHI-CHAN'S EAR THIS INSTANT!"

At the kid's table, Kira grumbled.

"You're right, Sweetness," Shion sighed. "I'm tired. I'm so very tired."

* * *

"Onsen, Onsen... I love you so, Onsen," Nagisa whispered in pure ecstasy as she and Shizuma were relaxing back at the Ryokan. Both were submerged in the hot water and were relaxing. Though it wasn't a true onsen, it was the next best thing. After all the strain put on her muscles, Shizuma found it quite pleasing to relax in the heated water.

The Ryokan wasn't near any volcanic hotsprings, but it had a carefully constructed artificial one. On sight, it resembled a shallow round pool surrounded by a patch of grass and imported basalt blocks for decoration. The Onsen's mixed mineral water was electronically heated and the entire section was fenced off by a high wooden fence. The night sky above them was gently illuminated with stars and the full moon. Chikaru and Shion had gone before them and Momomi and Kaname would be waiting their turn.

"How much time do we still have?" Nagisa asked.

"About half an hour," Shizuma said as she pulled Nagisa towards her. "Gomen. I know we'd have had more time if we went last, but I didn't want to go in the water after Kaname and Momomi."

"True," Nagisa said. "We all know what they get up to when they're in hot water."

"Just a couple of more days and then it's back to the grind," Shizuma sighed.

"Noooooooo," Nagisa wailed. "I don't wanna think about that yet. Happy denial, happy denial."

"Sorry. But... Hey, did you hear something?"

"Quiet, they'll hear us!" Keita hissed from the other side of the fence. "Okay, Suguru, Kira, the two of you lift me up so I can look over the fence."

"What?! No way!" Suguru stressed. "As soon as they'll see you, they'll run inside and we won't see anything."

"Yeah," Kira said. "We wanna see Shizuma-sama and Nagisa-san naked too."

"Don't push me!"

"Bugger off!"

"Lift me up!"

"They'll hear you!"

"Sssshhht!"

"Boys..." whispered a bemused voice behind them.

The three boys froze instantly and slowly turned around to find Kaname smirking at them. She leaned against the wall and shook her head.

"We, uh..." Keita started. "We were just, um, you know, um..."

"Checking out the knotholes on the fence. See, there's a real cool one over here!" Kira said quickly.

Kaname smirked again and pointed at a small portable bench standing a few feet away from the boys.

"Look!"

"With that bench..."

"... all three of us could..."

"At once."

The three boys bowed deeply at Kaname. "Domo arigato gozaimasu," they whispered. Kaname gave them a curt nod and withdrew into the shadows.

"Knotholes?" Keita smacked Kira upside the head. "Are you stupid?!"

"What the..." Shizuma narrowed her eyes as three heads popped over the fence. Though the water was clear, the damp fog rising from the heated water hid their modesty somewhat.

"EEEEEEHHHH??" sounded from Nagisa next to her. "G-g-g-get out of here!"

"Sssh!" Shizuma said and put a hand on Nagisa's shoulder as the boys kept leering. "We can keep this up longer than they can. Let's just stay calm and sit here. We're not going anywhere."

But Nagisa wasn't listening. She instinctively covered her chest with her arms and gently lowered herself into the water to the tip of her nose. Then, Nagisa started to eye the door leading back into the shower/dressing room. Shizuma knew that Nagisa was about to make a break for it and jump out of the Onsen. If that were to happen, the three boys would get a full view of Nagisa in all her naked glory... In her mind, Shizuma already saw a dreadfully embarrassed Nagisa being followed around by three horny pre-pubescent boys who had seen her naked. And Nagisa would probably never live that down.

Shizuma wanted to spare her wife that embarrassment. So a noble sacrifice was in order.

Just as Nagisa was about to bolt for it, Shizuma rose from the water and stepped forward to the other side of her Onsen. She put her hands in her sides and stood there, to her waist in the water.

The boys were transfixed on Shizuma's chest. All that existed in their universe right now were two certain parts of Shizuma's finely chiseled anatomy.

She was about to tell the boys to get lost when blood spurted from their noses and the three fell backwards to land behind the fence with a series dull thuds.

Shizuma listened and the patter of Nagisa's bare feet on the grass and the door slamming shut signified that Nagisa was in the clear. An eyeful of naked Shizuma had saved the day.

However, she was certain she would ask Shion to discipline the three boys later. Behaviour such as this was not to be rewarded and certainly not by seeing her topless.

* * *

_In a short time, Major Toumori Shion's life had been turned upside down in so many ways that it wasn't even funny anymore. She was a decorated officer in the Japanese Self-Defense Forces with an exemplary record, and apparently she was good enough to be noticed by a mysterious organization known as the Girls in Plaid. In the past, she had been invited to join numerous prestigious organizations but she had always turned them all down in favor of the JSDF._

_But this was different than playing body guard for rich politicians or crawling through sewers looking for bombs. In the past 2 hours, she had not only been confronted with the existance of alien life, but she had also learned a large number of aliens were actually active on Earth and were actively monitored by the paramilitary police force that were the Girls in Plaid._

_Of a group of thirty potential candidates from the JSDF only she and another girl, Corporal Aoi Nagisa, had been chosen. And right now, they were being led through a secret underground facility by the enigmatic agent C. Agent C was, by far, the most beautiful and graceful woman she had ever met. Shion had always hidden the fact that she was a lesbian for the sake of her military career. The romance in her life was limited to one-night stands with girls from bars in seedy love-hotels. The absence of any true relationship had caused a void in her life that was growing steadily._

_At that moment, Agent C froze and looked over her shoulder. Shion gasped and blushed slightly, knowing she had been caught staring at her. But Agent C smiled mysteriously and motioned to the lounge at the side of the corridor._

_Shion blinked as she was greeted by three rather rude wormlike aliens who were enjoyed crisps and porn mags. Three more Girls in Plaid nodded at her._

_"Major," Agent C smiled. "Meet Agents K, L and K2."_

_Shion exchanged greetings but then whispered in Agent C's ear. "Agent C? Why is Agent K2 holding a teddybear?"_

_"Careful," Agent C said. "That is not a teddybear. That is, in fact, Agent O. Agent O is a near omniscient alien sage and a representative of the Galactic Council of Species to this planet."_

_"Agent O says," Agent K2 broke in. "That he doesn't like being called a teddybear. And also that he has excellent hearing."_

_"Gomen, gomen," Shion said quickly._

_Without further ado, Agent C continued the tour. The three girls walked into a huge space filled to the brim with scientists, equipment and, at the center sage, a huge robot partially caught in a block of ice. The robot was gray and menacing and attached to the arm that was caught in the ice was a seriously oversized gun._

_"Sugoi," Shion whispered. "What is that?"_

_"That's Megatron," Agent C said. "He's a member of a race of sentient machines that crashed on Earth millions of years ago. We found him about 120 years ago and he's been here ever since. We've managed to reverse engineer his technology and turn it to our advantage. It's thanks to Megatron that we have television, stereo's, dishwashers and Playstation 3."_

_"That robot?"_

_"Yes," Agent C smiled. "Where did you think the Japanese post-war economic Wirtshaftwunder came from, hm?"_

_In the meantime, Nagisa strayed a bit too close to the partially defrosted robot._

_"Hey, psst," said Megatron in a menacing electronic voice. "You!"_

_"Me?" Nagisa asked._

_"Yes, you. Release me, human, and I shall reward you!"_

_"Do you have cake?" Nagisa asked._

_"Cake? Yes. I, uh, I do have cake. You need only release me."_

_"I'm not sure," Nagisa replied._

_"RELEASE ME, MISERABLE PRIMATE!" he shouted before catching himself. "Uhm, I mean, uh, nice little girl. I have nice cakes for you."_

_Without so much as a second thought Nagisa headed towards a big red button next to Megatron which had the word 'Defrost' printed on it._

_"NAGISA-SAN!" Agent C shouted. "What do you think you're doing?!"_

_"But he says he has cake," Nagisa pouted._

_"He does NOT have cake," Agent C said harshly, but then smiled. "Come, Nagisa-san. We'll continue our tour."_

_Shion was once again awestruck when they arrived at the control center. In this control center, alien activity in Japan was constantly monitored. Weird looking aliens were moving back and forth from the arrival and departure ports of what seemed to be a huge underground spaceport._

_"How the hell have you managed to keep this place hidden?" Shion asked._

_Agent C shrugged. "Various forms of alien cloaking technology, as well as time and reality altering Quantum fissures. It's... complicated. But eventually, it'll all make sense."_

_Agent C turned around, not facing Shion._

_"Major Toumori," Agent C said. "Do you realize what we're asking of you. As soon as you agree to join the Girls in Plaid, Toumori Shion will cease to exist. You will have no contact with the outside world whatsoever. The memories of your friends and family will be altered permanently. For all intents and purposes, you will never have existed. Major Toumori Shion will become Agent S."_

_"Agent C," Shion nodded. "I'd follow you to Hell and back."_

_And ever so slight blush appeared on Agent C's cheeks. "I... Thank you, major. Does this mean you accept our offer."_

_"I do," Shion said. "I... I've seen things I can barely wrap my mind around, but... I want to be part of this."_

_"Good," Agent C smiled. "Now, we... hey, where did Aoi-san go?"_

_Moments later, Nagisa entered the room munching on a piece of apple-pie. "You were wrong," Nagisa said. "Megatron-san DID have cake!"_

_Immediately, red lights started flashing above and panic started to break out while heavy laser blasts could be heard in the distance._

_Agent C remained claim and walked to a small box which read 'break glass in case of emergency'. She smashed the glass and a large section of the wall opened up to reveal an impressive armory. Agent C removed a futuristic laser weapon that was just about as large as she was. She cocked the gun and donned a pair of sunglasses. "Let's get it on!" she whispered and headed towards the door._

Shion's eyes fluttered open. And she saw heaven.

Chikaru hovered above her, smiling that radiant smile of hers. "Pleasant dreams?" she asked after kissing Shion on the lips.

Shion said nothing. Instead, she snaked her arms around Chikaru and pulled her down. Their lips pressed together and Shion clutched onto her as if Chikaru could be ripped away from her at any moment. Their kiss deepened while Chikaru and Shion lay on their sides. Shion gasped when she felt Chikaru sliding her hand underneath the hem of her blouse. Slowly but surely, the cheeky raven-hair started to unbutton Shion's blouse with her free hand.

"I want to make love," Chikaru whispered softly. This came as no surprise to Shion. After all, they hadn't exactly been able to keep their hands off each other when they were in the onsen.

And when Chikaru kissed her again, Shion was tempted. Oh, she was so very tempted. But there were some things she had to get off her mind first.

Chikaru, being the empathic girl that she was, apparently sensed it when Shion stiffened somewhat. She lay on her side next to her lover to give her some space. "Shion-koi?" she asked gently. "You're not too tired, are you? From chasing after the kids? Your shoulders seem tense, would you like it if I'd give you a backrub first?"

"Chikaru," Shion started with heavy heart. "There's something... I need to talk to you about."

Chikaru smiled gently and nodded. "I had the feeling you have something on your mind. Come," Chikaru said. She sat up on the bed and gently tapped the space next to her. Shion sat down next to Chikaru, and welcomed her girlfriend's arm around her shoulders. She felt strengthened as Chikaru pressed against her and looked at her with nothing but love in her eyes.

"I..." she started, and swallowed. "I'm going to quit teaching."

Shion took a deep breath and steeled herself for Chikaru's reaction. "I, uh," she continued. "I've been thinking a lot lately and, I just can't see myself doing this my entire life. It's just not for me. I wanted to do this, I really did wanted it, but..."

"I was wondering when you were going to tell me," Chikaru smiled gently and kissed the top of Shion's head.

This was not the reaction Shion had expected. "Y-you... knew?" Shion asked. "B-but, why... how..."

"I suspected," Chikaru said. "To tell you the truth, if you hadn't told me now I would probably have asked you myself. You've never been happy at the teaching academy, have you?"

Shion sighed. "Only when I was with you. In our dorm. In class. I... I never got into teaching like you did, I... I just thought it was something I could do. And it didn't matter what I did, as long as I could be with you. That what was most important."

Chikaru smiled, but there was a sadness in her eyes. "I don't want you to be unhappy because of me."

"N-no, it's not like that, I..." Shion sniffed. "I... I just don't know what to do with my life. I never did. I mean, I'm rich enough that I don't have to do anything at all, but... that's no way to live. Is it?"

"Shion-koi," Chikaru said while Shion lay on her side and put her head in Chikaru's lap. Chikaru responded by gently stroking Shion's hair. "It's alright."

"No, it's not," Shion replied, trying to keep her tears in check. "I want to be worthy of you, Chikaru. I want you to be proud of me."

Chikaru smiled. "Don't you think it's up to me to decide if you're worthy of my affections, Shion-koi? And, I want you to know that I'm very proud of you, because you had the courage to tell me. I love you very much. And I don't love you any less because you don't want to be a teacher anymore."

"I don't have any dreams. I just don't know what..."

"Sssshhh," Chikaru said. "Don't say that. You do have dreams. And you're so young still. There's enough time to figure out who you want to be. I'll help you find your dream, Shion. We'll do it together."

"I want you in my life, Chikaru," Shion said as she turned around to look Chikaru in the eye. "That's the only thing I'm sure of. I love you so much, Chikaru."

Shion smiled to herself. For months she had been looking for the right moment to ask her beloved girlfriend the question that would entwine their lives forever... and if this wasn't the right moment, it would never come. Chikaru seemed surprised when Shion sat up, got off the bed and headed to her suitcase. She shot Chikaru one more smile before opening the suitcase and finding the secret compartment inside.

She took the little box containing the engagement ring she had bought and had engraved about three months ago. Nerves grabbed her by the throat as she held it in her hand... Would she say _'Yes'_? What if she... No, it didn't bare thinking about, especially now that she was so close.

Instinctively, she flipped open the box for one last look at the ring.

And immediately all the blood drained from her face.

_'GONE?!_' Shion trembled in shock and rage. _'But... how? Oh, god, what if I hadn't checked? I'd have given Chikaru an empty box! But... where'd it go? Who knew where to find the secret compartment in my suitcase?'_

"Shion-koi," she felt Chikaru's hand on her shoulder. "You're trembling... and you're white as a sheet. What's going on?"

Shion quickly pocketed the box before Chikaru could see it. "I... I..." she stammered, while a thousand thoughts shot through her head. 'It was them. It has to be them. They snuck into our room to steal our underwear and then they must have found it. They stole in our room, went through our private things, took a 5 million yen engagement ring and ruined what was so be the most precious moment in my life. Four unforgivable counts in my book.'

"I WON'T FORGIVE YOU!" Shion shouted, startling Chikaru. "YOU LITTLE BASTARDS! I'LL KILL YOU! I SWEAR TO ANY AND ALL GODS IN ANY AND ALL RELIGIONS THAT I'LL KILL ALL THREE OF YOU!"

"Shion-koi!" Chikaru cried after Shion as she ran into the hallway. Chikaru quickly set to pursuit before Shion would do anything foolish.

From a dark corner at the end of a hallway, Kaname watched Chikaru chase after Shion. She grinned and flipped the engagement ring into the air for good measure. This should be fun.

_Oh, yes. This should be fun..._

* * *


	9. Chapter 9 : Always be nice to girls

Hello everyone,

This summer holiday update took a while, and a lot of segments turned out quite a bit longer than I expected. Especially the dream-sequence... not so much a dream, but more or less a nightmare for poor Nagisa. This dream-sequence is about Nagisa dreaming she's a Claymore and there'll be a cameo of my favorite Claymore: Ophelia in all her insane glory. Just for the record, this dream is in no way related to the Claymore stories I've written.

Disclaimer: I own neither Strawberry Panic nor Claymore. But I did get a new cool Gundam model in the mail this saturday. :)

* * *

**We're all going on a... Summer holiday.**

**Chapter 9 : Always be nice to girls...**

"TELL ME! TELL ME NOW! WHICH ONE OF YOU DID IT?! I WANT TO KNOW WHICH ONE OF YOU DID IT!" Shion shouted at the top of her lungs.

After leaving the room with Chikaru in tow, Shion had been on the warpath.

Everything had been perfect for a proposal, the proposal which Shion had finally gathered the nerves for after months of hesitation. And when she was finally going to pop the question to Chikaru, the engagement ring was missing.

And the only persons she could think of that would have done it were the three cretins who had been making her life miserable ever since they met. She had stalked into the boy's room, hoisted them out of bed in the middle of the night and dragged them down the stairs. And there they stood. For the first time since they got to the Ryokan, Keita, Suguru and Kira were completely stunned and frozen in the sight of the raging Shion.

"YOU TOOK IT! I WANT IT BACK AND I WANT IT BACK NOW!"

"Shion-koi!" Chikaru shouted and placed her hands on Shion's shoulders. "What's going on? Shion!"

Shion ignore her, however, and focused all her ire on the three trembling boys in front of her. "YOU ARE NOT GOING BACK TO BED BEFORE YOU RETURN IT!"

In the meantime, the ruckus had woken up the others and Shion had drawn quite a crowd. Shizuma, wearing a nightgown, was standing on halfway on the staircase looking down. So did Kaname. And a groggy Takashi wearing a XXL sized Rozen Maiden T-Shirt which almost slid down his lanky frame came stumbling down the stairs. The heads of several of the kids popped out from the landing to see what exciting stuff was going on. But none interfered, for such was the level of Shion's rage.

In all their days on the council, neither Shizuma, Kaname or Chikaru had seen Shion this angry.

"What?" Keita spoke up with a shaky voice. "Wh-what have we done?"

Shion narrowed her eyes. "YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'VE DONE!" she shouted. "YOU... YOU... DON'T TAKE THIS LIGHTLY, BOYS! I CERTAINLY WON'T!"

"Shion!" Chikaru raised her voice slightly. "Stop this, Shion! Now!"

"I SWEAR, YOU LITTLE BASTARDS! GIVE IT BACK TO ME! GIVE IT BACK TO ME OR I SWEAR I'LL KILL ALL THREE OF YOU! I'LL KILL..."

The sound of a slap resounded through the room and all was silent.

Chikaru still stood there, her harsh expression softening after she had just spun Shion around and had slapped her so hard that Shion reeled back. As an angry red imprint formed on her cheek, Shion finally calmed down. Her anger flowed away, making place for sobbing and tears.

"Hey," Chikaru whispered softly. "It's okay. Let's go sit there, at the table. Come on, let's just sit."

Shion nodded and let Chikaru set her down and sit next to her. Chikaru pulled her close to her and gently kissed the same cheek she had slapped mere seconds ago.

"I'm sorry, Shion-koi," she said. "But I had to do it. You were... not yourself. I won't let you threaten those boys, Shion-koi. What have they done? What have they taken from you?"

And now Shion found herself between a rock and a hard place. She could say that she suspected that the boys had taken her engagement ring, but that would reveal that Shion had the intention to ask Chikaru to marry her. But now was the worst of times to do so. It meant that there was absolutely nothing to say that could justify her actions.

"It's... it's all going wrong..." Shion sobbed. "I... I'm so tired, Chikaru-chan. I'm so very tired."

"Come," Chikaru smiled and gently rubbed Shion's back. "I'll bring you to bed, Shion-koi. You need rest."

Chikaru helped a partially stunned Shion to her feet and helped her to the staircase. "Shizuma-sama, Takashi-kun?" she asked. "Could you please bring the children back to bed. I need to look after Shion."

"Of course," Shizuma said. "Children?"

"Okay," Takashi called over to the younger children. "Show's over, folks."

"Awwww," said one of the kids while they were herded back to their rooms by Takashi.

Shizuma stood in front of the stunned boys, but her appearance quickly restored the boy's minds and it didn't take Shizuma long to realize that the boys weren't exactly looking her in the eyes.

"Boys..." Shizuma narrowed her eyes.

"Dude!" Keita whispered to his friends. "You can, like, totally see her nipples through the fabric!"

"Wow," said Kira. "Oh, wowiewowiewowie."

"I hear you," Suguru nodded.

Shizuma sighed and herded the boys up the stairs, making sure that the boys were ahead so they wouldn't have the chance to peek underneath her nightshift. At the top of the stairs, she found herself face to face with little Futaba. Little Futaba held her hand out expectantly. Shizuma understood the hint and took the girl by the hand.

Right behind them followed Chikaru and a sobbing Shion. Observing them was Kaname, who watched the spectacle with a rather emotionless expression. Oblivious to this, Chikaru brought Shion back to their room and helped her to lie down on the bed. It was obvious that Shion was in a state of near-shock while Chikaru tucked her in.

"Ssshhh," Chikaru said as she caressed Shion's hair. "Go to sleep, Shion-koi."

"Chikaru," Shion whispered. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Chikaru said. "Rest now."

"I love you so much, Sweetness. So... so tired..." Shion closed her eyes and fell asleep almost immediately.

* * *

"You're awfully quiet," Momomi said while she lay in her futon. Since she had trouble getting back to sleep, Momomi had decided to do some reading instead. Next to her lay Kaname, staring blankly ahead of her in a mood of a general broody nature.

"Hm?"

"And not all here," Momomi chuckled as she put away her book. "Tell me, what's going on?"

"Shion-kun... she's always been good to us, hasn't she? In her own way."

Momomi nodded. "She kept us sharp. Covered for us from time to time. Not afraid to confront us when needed. Why?"

"She was planning on asking Minamoto-san to marry her," Kaname sighed. "Or at least she would have if I hadn't stolen the ring for my own amusement."

"Ah," Momomi smiled. "Well, there's your problem."

"So, Shion-kun went ballistic, as she usually did, blamed the wrong people and promptly had a nervous break-down downstairs," Kaname said. "It was quite a spectacle."

"I can imagine," Momomi said.

"Shion-kun has loved Chikaru-san from the day they met, hasn't she?" Kaname sighed. "Though I despise Chikaru-san, I suppose I should do my best to fix this situation... without implicating myself, of course."

"Well, that goes without saying," Momomi smiled. "Still, it's nice to know that my Kaname is human."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kaname narrowed her eyes.

"Nah," Momomi closed her eyes and slid underneath the covers to her chin. "You have remorse."

"Don't be ridiculous!" Kaname challenged. "It's simply because my theft of the ring didn't have the amusing effect I'd expected. I'm merely sparing Shion the indignity of suffering a second nervous break-down, that's all. I owe her that much, at least."

"How are you going to pull it off?" Momomi asked.

"I'll figure something out. Don't you worry your pretty little head about it."

"I won't," Momomi curled up against Kaname. "Instead I'll just put my pretty little head on your chest," she yawned and was near sleep. And she was more than willing to use Kaname as her personal body pillow.

"Momomi," Kaname whispered and wrapped her arms around the girl she loved the most in this entire wretched world. Not that Kaname would ever tell her that, though. Oh, no.

* * *

_Claymores. Hunters of Youma, the demonic enemies of mankind. Created to have special powers lifted from the very Youma they killed. Live fast, die young and lonely._

_Right now, four potential Claymores were standing in front of an abandoned town, waiting for their assigned captain to arrive. All four were huddled together, and to a bystander all of them would have seemed very uncomfortable in their armor and barely looked strong enough to lift the swords that were the same length as their bodies._

_But looks could be deceiving, for every girl had the strength of ten men. But they hadn't even been assigned a number yet, and being the inexperienced as they were, they had no idea how to use their strength to their full potential. Which is why they had been assigned this training mission under the command of a high-numbered veteran Claymore._

_But when they read the roster and found out just exactly WHO this high-numbered veteran Claymore was, all of them were hoping it was a misprint._

_"I hear she once bit off a Youma's head with her bare teeth," Nagisa said._

_"I hear she once killed a whole town of villagers just because one drunk pissed her off," Tamao added._

_"I hear she had this whole basement filled with loveslaves... taken from first year classes. And when she's done with them, she cooks them and eats them," Hikari gulped._

_"I hear she collects stamps," Yaya said._

_"Huh?" all three other girls responded._

_"Hey," Yaya narrowed her eyes. "Collecting stamps is supremely evil! Got it?"_

_The girls trembled when they heard the tell-tale click of metal boots on cobblestone. Click. Click. Click. Click. Approaching ever so slowly._

_And there she was. She was tall and lithe, seemed young, and her easy stride belied an underlying power that was overwhelming to them. She was pale, and her face held an expression of disdain. Her grayish hair was tied back in a long braid that swung freely across her lower back. There was no mistake. The roster was correct._

_Their captain was number Four._

_Ophelia._

_Ophelia stopped short in front of them and regarded them for a moment._

_"Yare, yare," she shook her head. "Look at you. You'll all be dead by dawn."_

_The girls stood at attention, attempting to hide their fear of this woman in front of them. They heard the stories from the other numbered Claymores. Ophelia was psychotic, sociopathic, violent, bloodthirsty and downright insane._

_"Alright, losers," Ophelia told the girls. "There's five youma in that town over there. Let's kill them quickly. And if I'm late for my date with Clare, I'll kill all four of you myself, understand?"_

_"Hai!" the girls said quickly._

_"You! Nagisa!" Ophelia pointed at her._

_"M-m-m-m-m-me?" Nagisa pointed at herself._

_"Yes, y-y-y-y-y-you," Ophelia mocked with a sly grin. "They tell me you can detect Youki from far away. So tell me, where are the Youma hiding?"_

_"I, uh, I. I th-th-think they're o-o-over th-th-th-th-there," Nagisa trembled and tried to point towards the location where she suspected the youma to be, but Ophelia's icy gaze made her so nervous she could hardly move._

_Faster than the eye could see, Ophelia shot past the girls and grabbed Nagisa from behind to take her in a vice-like grip. She squeezed tightly, pushing all the air from Nagisa's lungs._

_Tamao yelped and moved to help Nagisa, but with the same speed with which Ophelia had grabbed Nagisa, Tamao found herself savagely kicked in the stomach and subsequently airborne. After a parabolic trajectory through the air, Tamao slammed into the ground forty meters away from Ophelia. Yaya rushed over to help her, but Hikari stood rooted to the ground, unable to move out of fear of provoking Ophelia._

_"Shhhh, sshhhhh," Ophelia whispered in Nagisa's air. "Don't breathe. Don't think. Let go of all your thoughts and desires. Let your senses stretch out. You feel it, don't you? Their youki? Close your eyes. Do it. There's nothing in the world but you and the youma. Where are they, Nagisa? Where are they?"_

_Nagisa's eyes shot open. "There! There's four in the town square, near the smithy! And there's one in the granary near the edge of the village."_

_"There," Ophelia grinned. "That wasn't so hard, was it?" And then, Nagisa found herself roughly shoved into the ground._

_"Fine," Ophelia concluded. "I'll take care of the four youma near the town square. Hardly a test of my abilities, but one should never pass up the opportunity for slaughter. The four of you can handle the one straggler in the granary, if you can even manage that."_

_Yaya, having mustered some bravery, stepped forward. "D-don't take us lightly! We can be of help!"_

_Ophelia turned around, an odd expression on her face. The odd expression was soon replaced with a smile, then a giggle... then, mocking laughter. "My dear Yaya, I am not taking you lightly at all," she said and pointed at the two swords strapped on Yaya's back. "I've rarely seen one us carry two swords at such a young age. I think of all four of you, you have the most potential. It's your friend I take lightly," she said, pointing out Hikari._

_"Uh?" Hikari replied._

_Ophelia grinned and before Hikari knew it, Ophelia's claymore was resting with the sharp end on her shoulder, pressing into her flesh. And with inhuman speed, Ophelia flashed the heavy claymore over Hikari's head to the other shoulder. And back again, and back again, and back again. Hikari didn't dare move as Ophelia continued her sadistic taunt. Tiny slivers of Hikari's hair started falling down as tears stung her eyes. "IYYYYAAAAA!" she finally shouted._

_When Ophelia halted her game and withdrew her blade, she giggled like a little girl. In front of her, Hikari stood blushing, as she now had a large wet patch in her pants._

_Yaya drew her blades and stepped in between Ophelia and Hikari. "S-stop it," Yaya demanded, even though she knew she stood no chance. "Leave her alone."_

_Ophelia merely cocked her head and smiled. "Okay," she shrugged and turned around. "Remember. The granary," she called over her shoulder while she headed into town and towards the town square._

_The girls watched her go for a moment._

_"We're lucky to be alive," Tamao whispered._

_"I think she just felt me up," Nagisa pouted._

_"I need a change of clothes," Hikari sniffed._

_"She's... awesome!" Yaya beamed._

_A few moments later, after the girls had prepared, they entered the granary with their weapons drawn. It was silent as the grave inside, and all the girls could hear was the sound of their own breathing and their boots on the floorboards._

_The granary was dark and empty. The smell of the harvest still hung in the air. But there was something else. A dripping sound coming ahead. It was Yaya who saw it first: a pool of crimson spread out on the floor and a drop of blood falling into it ever so often._

_Yaya pointed up and saw a patch of red as thick blood ran in between the boards of the loft above them. There were the sounds of something... eating coming directly from above. The girls nodded to each other. They knew what to do._

_Nagisa and Tamao took up defensive positions next to a small ladder leading towards the loft while Yaya ascended it. Hikari would stand by to back up Tamao and Nagisa if need be._

_Yaya carefully peeked over the edge of the loft and saw their prey: a lone demonic youma, about the size of a man, was stooped over a dead victim. Its claws dug into the corpse's abdomen and slashed out another piece of internal organ to feast on. The youma was totally unaware of their presence._

_This was textbook. With both swords in hand, Yaya would channel her youki to hyperaccelerate herself and jump right next to the youma to behead it. Yaya timed her jump, powered up her youki and went in for the kill... only find a clawed feet in her stomach in mid-flight. Too late Yaya had realized that by powering up her youki, the youma had been able to detect her and take action._

_Both swords flew from Yaya's hands as she was kicked off the loft and landed on the ground below with a sickening crunch._

_"YAYA-CHAN!" screamed Hikari as the youma jumped down from the loft and turned to Hikari. Hikari, frightened beyond belief, frozen in terror and did the worst thing she could do: she dropped her sword. Before Nagisa and Tamao could do anything, the youma had slashed its claws into Hikari's stomach several times._

_Hikari screamed as clawed hands spread her life-blood all over the ground._

_Tamao and Nagisa rushed the youma but both of them found themselves disarmed and slashed within a second. Their enemy was so overpowering that Tamao was shoved into the wall and fell to the ground unconscious. Nagisa dropped her sword and trembled in front of the enemy standing over her downed friends._

_"No," she whispered as she crawled back into the wall. "Please... Please don't..."_

_The youma seemed to laugh at her plight and Nagisa just ran. She ran towards the door as fast as her legs would carry her. This creature was beyond her. She needed to get help, both for herself and her friends. Unfortunately, she tripped over her own legs just as she was about to reach the door. But when she tried to get herself back to her feet, a clawed hand grabbed her by the boot and started dragging her back._

_Faced with the prospect of having her stomach ripped over and having the creature eating her living guts while she was still conscious, Nagisa screamed and screamed. And then it seemed her call for help was answered. The door to the granary opened, and in the doorway she saw a figure in telltale Claymore armor standing proudly. At first she thought it was Ophelia, but a closer look revealed a rather cheeky looking tall girl with long silver hair._

_"N-nani?" the youma stammered... right before he was torn into three separate pieces by the Claymore's lightning face blade. Purple blood sprayed all over the floorboards while the cheeky Claymore looked at Nagisa._

_"Well, hello there, cutie," the Claymore said while she helped Nagisa to her feet.. "What's your name? Mine's Shizuma," she said and grinned slightly. "Remember my name. You'll be saying it a lot tonight."_

_"W-what an incredibly pretty person," Nagisa whispered to herself. "Ah! My friends! Come on! We need to help my friends. And Ophelia! We need to find Ophelia!"_

_"Yes," Shizuma narrowed her eyes. "I have some words to mince with her."_

_Tamao was just sitting up and rubbing her head, while Yaya had a deep gasp in her forehead. The person who was the worst off was Hikari. She was unconscious and was bleeding from deep wounds. Yaya was already on the hopeless task of trying to stop the bleeding. _

_"Dammit," Shizuma hissed and moved to assist Yaya. "Nagisa, go find Ophelia."_

_Nagisa did so and found Ophelia in the town square, observing the result of her slaughter. Of the four Youma she had fought... they had been torn to pieces. In fact, there wasn't enough left of them to feed the birds._

_Risking a beheading, Nagisa grabbed the surprised Ophelia by the arm and dragged her to the granary, where Shizuma was already waiting for her with narrowed eyes._

_"My," Ophelia chuckled. "Shizuma. Number 20. I didn't realize you were in the neighborhood."_

_"This is my region," Shizuma hissed. It was obvious the two were not on friendly terms._

_Yaya didn't care, however. "Hikari is dying!" Yaya cried. "Help her! Come on, Hikari, regenerate! Regenerate!"_

_Ophelia shook her head. "Let her go," she said softly._

_"What?!"_

_"She was weak. Never meant to be anything but arrow fodder," Ophelia narrowed her eyes. "Pathetic. Let her die. You'll be doing her a favor."_

_"She's my friend! I won't let her die, you bitch!" Yaya spat back._

_"Please!" Tamao pleaded as well. "You have to help her."_

_"I have to do nothing!" Ophelia spat back. "Why do you think you are sent on these little training missions, hm? To weed out the weak. So what if she survives? She'll never be a numbered Claymore. And even if she will be, you'll be condemning her to a lonely life with a violent end. Better that she dies here surrounded by friends than to die alone as lunch for an Awakened Being." _

_"NO!" Nagisa shouted and stepped towards Ophelia. "You're our commander! You're supposed to take care of us! You have to help Hikari!"_

_And then Nagisa found the tip of Ophelia's sword pressed against her chest._

_"Oh?" she grinned. "I don't have to do anything."_

_The clang of metal on metal sounded, as Shizuma had cut her blade across Ophelia's and lifted it away from Nagisa. "I beg to differ," Shizuma said._

_The two women stared at each other for a moment. Mad eyes locked with angry eyes. And a challenge was issued._

_"Let's step outside," Ophelia grinned._

_The two claymores were fighting mere seconds later. Shizuma made a more controlled impression than Ophelia, and did her best to counter Ophelia's wild swings. While Tamao divided her time with trying to stop Hikari's bleeding and watching the claymores fight, Nagisa observed. _

_The two Claymore were magnificent to watch: their heavy two-handed swords clanged against each other with short, controlled swings, mixed in with the occasional jump or underhanded slash._

_And soon enough, Nagisa noticed that something was seriously wrong. Though Ophelia and Shizuma seemed to be evenly matched, the grin on Ophelia's face kept broadening. And as the grin on Ophelia's face kept broadening, the grin on Shizuma's face started fading fast._

_Nagisa had learned a little about swordcraft and had spent a lot of time observing the others fight. Though she wasn't good at fighting, she could tell a lot from watching others fighting. Ophelia technique was as devious as she herself was: what looked like wild swings were actually very controlled swings. This way, Ophelia confused Shizuma and lured her into her trap. Ophelia made it seem as if she left openings in her swings, openings that weren't actually there. Number four kept successfully baiting Shizuma and treated her to vicious counterattacks._

_Shizuma powered up her youki and increased her fighting speed considerably, and included some fast stabs forward. But Ophelia matched or side-stepped her moves with frightening ease._

_"You..." Shizuma snarled. "Stop toying with me!"_

_Shizuma would soon come to regret regret that statement. "Okay," Ophelia chuckled. Nagisa felt a blur of youki and in an instant, she stood behind Shizuma, smiling like a little girl enjoying a chocolate chip cookie._

_Shizuma's blade fell to the ground._

_And Shizuma sank to her knees, holding the stump where her sword arm used to be attached to. Her expression was one of utter horror as she lay her hand on the profusely bleeding wound._

_"SHIZUMA!" Nagisa shouted and wanted to rush up to her, only to find herself being forced back as Ophelia pressed the sharp edge of her blade against Nagisa's throat._

_"Yare, yare," Ophelia mocked. "First time you lost a limb?"_

_Shizuma bit her lip to deal with the pain. Apparently, she wanted to remain dignified in front of Ophelia, not to scream in anguish like she desperately needed to._

_"Bitch," Shizuma hissed._

_"You're an offensive type, aren't you?" Ophelia grinned. "You're not able to regenerate your arm, but you can reattach it to your body if you're quick enough. Oh! I know! A game! I love games. Do you love games? Would you like to play?"_

_"Do I have any choice?"_

_"No," Ophelia grinned and stood between Shizuma and her severed arm. She kicked the sword back to Shizuma, who took it in her other hands and slowly stood up. "Here's the game. It's simple. You have to get through me to get to your arm. And remember the time limit. Hurry, or you'll loose your arm forever."_

_Shizuma gritted her teeth and awkwardly held her sword with her other arm, cursing herself for not being ambidextrous._

_"Tick-tock, Shizuma. Tick-tock," Ophelia mocked._

_Shizuma shouted and shot forward. But again, Ophelia was faster. She couldn't even see the flash of Ophelia's blade. But she could feel the deep slashes. All over her body. Blood spurted from deep gashes across her back, chest, stomach, thighs and calfs. She fell to the ground in utter ruination. She lay in a pool of her own blood, with Ophelia standing over her smiling like a cheshire cat._

_"I never stood a chance, didn't I?" Shizuma rasped._

_"No. You lose," Ophelia smiled. The last thing Shizuma saw was the bottom of Ophelia's steel boot as it slammed down on Shizuma's jaw with a sickening crunch. Then, darkness._

_Click. Click. Click._

_Ophelia walked away slowly and passed the frightened girls. Then stopped. She could no longer feel the Youki from one of the girls._

_"No!" Yaya could barely contain her tears. "Hikari is dead! Why? Why? Why is Hikari dead?"_

_Yaya felt two strong hands on her shoulders. "Feel the pain. Feel it. Make it your own," Ophelia told her. "Use it. Use it to focus your rage. The Youma, the Awakened Ones. They are your target."_

_"Yes," Yaya cried. "I want to hurt them. I want to kill them. I want to kill them all!"_

_"Atta girl," Ophelia said, then continued on her way. "I trust you can find your way back to the academy on your own, hm?"_

_Ophelia suddenly stopped short and glanced over her shoulder, towards the mountains near the town. She grinned wickedly and started walking on. "Hold that thought, Yaya," she called without looking back. "Hold that thought. Soon. Very soon..."_

_Nagisa paid the leaving Ophelia no mind. Instead, she focused on the downed Shizuma._

_"Shizuma?" Nagisa said. "I have your arm here. I'll put it against your body so you can reattach it to your body."_

_Shizuma lay there and coughed up blood. Though the wounds would be mortal for a normal human, Nagisa could see that Shizuma was already regenerating. Some of the worst wounds were already starting to heal, and her broken jaw was already set._

_"That was a really stupid thing to do," Shizuma rasped while Nagisa took her hand. "I never should have challenged her."_

_"It'll be okay, Shizuma. It'll be okay," Nagisa said while holding Shizuma's hand._

_"You are cute," Shizuma coughed. "When I'm feeling better, I'll be sure to repay you for your kindness."_

_There was something about the way Shizuma looked at her when she told her that which made Nagisa blush as if she was a boiled lobster. Suddenly, however, all erotic thoughts were banished from her thoughts._

_One glance at Shizuma confirmed it: she had felt them too._

_Youma..._

_Dozens of them. Coming down from the mountains to avenge their comrades._

_"YAYA!" Nagisa shouted. "TAMAO! Youma! They're coming!"_

_"Are you sure?" Tamao rushed over to Nagisa and the prone Shizuma. "How many?"_

_"Dozens," Nagisa gulped._

_"I can handle them," Shizuma coughed. "Shield me while I regenerate."_

_"Let them come!" Yaya shouted, her voice filled with hatred as she drew her blades. "I'll get them. I'll kill all of them! For Hikari!"_

_"Don't be a fool," Shizuma said while Nagisa and Tamao helped her to her feet. "Let's take refuge in that mill over there so I can gather my strength. It's a very defensible building."_

_"Bullshit!" Yaya shouted. "We'll kill them here and now!" _

_"Then stay here, die and get eaten! A good way to honor Hikari's memory, hm?" Shizuma pressed while Tamao and Nagisa were helping her to the mill. Yaya reluctantly followed, and dragged Hikari's body along with her. There was no way Yaya would allow those creatures to feast on her friend's remains. Inside they did the best to barricade the building, and they were still hammering away when they heard claws scraping against the wood._

_"It's no use!" they heard Shizuma shout as she raised her blade. "They're breaking through! Get behind me and guard my flank!"_

_Their claws, their growls, their evil eyes... Nagisa was going to die in this mill, she just knew it. Torn to pieces._

_"Don't worry," Shizuma called to her as if sensing her distress. "We'll survive. And I promise you, you'll have the most stupendous sex of your life to look forward to when we get out of here."_

_And then the monsters broke through._

* * *

"IYYYYAAAAAA!" Nagisa shouted as she woke up screaming and drenched in sweat.

"Uhm?" a groggy Shizuma willed herself to wake up. "What's the matter, Nagisa?"

"S-Shizuma," Nagisa looked at her beloved wife and was instantly relieved to see that she wasn't bearing any bruises. "I... oh, it was so horrible. You got felt up by a psycho, you got your arm cut off by the same psycho and Hikari-chan got killed by a monster. It was so awful!"

"Sssh," Shizuma took her wife in her arms and kissed her on the forehead. "It's alright. It's okay. No more reading Takashi's mangas for you, Nagisa."

"I... I guess not," Nagisa giggled. "Oh, god, I gotta call Hikari-chan to make sure she's okay!"

"Nagisa, it's three o'clock in the morning!" Shizuma said. "If you don't want to make Hikari angry, I suggest calling her in the morning. But I'm sure she's okay. I think she's more than okay and is probably having a lot of fun with Amane-san at the moment, wouldn't you say?"

"I guess," Nagisa sighed. "But... but it was so real."

"You're here with me, Nagisa," Shizuma smiled.

"They say kissing helps against nightmares," Nagisa smiled and inched towards her Shizuma. Nagisa hungrily claimed Shizuma's lips and the silver-haired girl answered with an intensity of her own.

"Better?" Shizuma asked when she broke the kiss.

"Better," Nagisa smiled. "But you know," Nagisa said, trying to look serious. "They say that nightmares go away even quicker when two people make love."

Nagisa let the tip of her fingers roam over the soft skin of her wife's belly. The was no turning back now. Foreplay had already begun.

Sadly, all thoughts of steamy and stupendously hot nightmare-repelling sex were blown right out of the water when someone's head popped up from behind Shizuma's back. And it wasn't until now that Nagisa realized that Shizuma was wearing a nightshift... exceedingly odd, since she knew that Shizuma almost always slept naked.

"Ah!" Nagisa started.

"Oh," Shizuma said. "You were still sleeping, so I couldn't tell you. There was a bit of a ruckus downstairs and it woke up little Futaba-chan."

"I couldn't sleep," Futaba said. "So I asked Shizuma nee-sama if I could sleep in bed with her."

"I see..." Nagisa narrowed her eyes.

"Don't worry," Shizuma smiled and shifted to her side. "There'll be plenty of time to, uhm, spend time together tomorrow morning. We're on holidays, after all."

"Yeah," Nagisa pouted. "I suppose."

"Good night, Nagisa."

"Good night, Shizuma."

"Good night, Shizuma nee-sama!"

"Good night, Futaba-chan."

Before Nagisa could embrace her wife, little Futuba jumped over Shizuma's body and quickly nestled quite against Shizuma's chest. "Hmm, soft," Futaba whispered when she rubbed her cheek against Shizuma's bosom.

"Eeeehh?!" Nagisa fumed. "That's MY spot!"

Shizuma had fallen asleep again almost instantly and Futaba treated Nagisa to a stuck out tongue before hugging Shizuma with all her might and using her as a full-body pillow.

Nagisa narrowed her eyes, crawled over to the other side and hugged Shizuma from behind. In no time, the futon was the site of an all-out glaring war between Nagisa and Futaba. In the meantime, the sleeping Shizuma was blissfully unaware of the ensuing power struggle over her body.

* * *

"I need your help, everyone," Chikaru said as she sat at the dining table with all the others sitting there. She had asked Nagisa to keep an eye on the children as they discussed the current situation inside.

"Shion-koi is still resting upstairs," Chikaru spoke sadly. "She... she's not well. I have to take care of her and make sure she rests. But I need your help, because I can't take care of the children and Shion at the same time."

"Say no more," Shizuma spoke up. "We'll help you. We'll all help you."

"Ahum," Kaname scraped her throat.

"We'll ALL help you," Shizuma stressed a little more forcefully. Kaname crossed her arms and glared.

Takashi nodded. "Nagisa had a great idea for a beach volley tournament. Between myself, Nagisa-chan and Shiz we could form three teams with the younger children and have a competition. Four teams if Momomi-san'll join us."

Momomi rubbed her chin. "Hm, not a bad idea. It'll give me a chance to work on my tan."

A flash of betrayal crossed Kaname's features, but she seemed to reconsider. "Alright," Kaname mused. "I will handle the boys. They are no match for me."

Chikaru smiled. "Thank you, my friends. All of you. I just hope my Shion will be better soon."

* * *

The three boys Keita, Kira and Suguru were loitering at the side of the Ryokan while most of the other children were nearby on the beach playing volleyball. In front of them was a nice green field near the forest, but they paid it no mind. Because, from a sight angle, they had the perfect view of Shizuma who was wearing a gray two-piece. At the moment, Shizuma was standing just right to give the boys an eyeful of a finely chiseled behind and an impressive side-boob.

Though Kaname-san had left them alone, the boys knew that the mysterious woman was near and was probably observing them somehow. Not to mention that they were already on their toes from last night's incident.

"What was up with that hard-ass Shion-sensei?" Keita wondered aloud.

"I think we broke her brain or something," Suguru said. "She said we stole something."

"Hm, of all the crap we pulled, the thing that drives her crazy is probably something we didn't do. That's, um, what do you call it? Imony?" Kira asked.

"Irony," Suguru said. "Did you see Chikaru-sensei? She looked so sad this morning. I feel bad for her. She was always nice to us."

"Pffft," Keita scoffed. "Chikaru-sensei needs to ditch the nutball and find a real man, like us."

Kira dreamed away. "Yeah, real men who can take care of her and give her lots and lots of babies."

"No, no, no," Keita smiled. "That's Shizuma-san for me."

He could already see it. Shizuma in a white dress in front of the church standing next to her, leaning in for a kiss. Then they would go to their home and she would get him a beer... a REAL beer, not that non-alcoholic crap... while he watched Naruto. Then she'd cook him dinner. And after that, in the evening, to go to the bedroom with the sexy Shizuma to break the bed. Oh, swwwweeeeeeeeettttt...

"You wouldn't know what do with her," Suguru scoffed.

"Hey, look!" Kira said. He pointed at little Futuba, who had apparently snuck away from the volleyball game. She was out in the field, apparently looking for flowers.

"Come on," Keita grinned evilly.

While the little girl was still gathering flowers, she was suddenly sitting in the shadow of three boys. "Huh?" she said while looking up.

"Whatcha doin', little baka?" Kira asked.

"Flowers... for Shizuma nee-sama," Futaba cheerfully announced and held up a large bundle of flowers, most of them lilies.

Kira laughed. "Don't be silly. Shizuma-san isn't interested in a little ankle biter like you."

"Yes," Keita smirked. "She wants REAL men. Like us!"

Futaba blinked. But then Kira made a grab for her flowers. "No!" Futaba reached for her flowers, but Kira held them out of her reach. "Give those back!"

"Little baka!" Kira laughed. "Little baka!"

Keita added insult to injury by giving Futaba a push. "You're just a little kid. Shizuma-san doesn't like you."

Suguru, who had been keeping out of this until now, looked at the guys with a dubious expression. "Uh, guys?" he tried.

Kira ignored him and gave Futaba a push hard enough to knock her over.

"Guys!" Suguru tried again.

"Shizuma-san doesn't like you!" Kira added, dropped the bundle of flowers and started stomping on them. Keita liked the idea and added his feet to the equation.

"NO!" Futaba wailed. "Those are for Shizuma nee-sama! Don't! Please don't!"

"Guys!" Suguru said while stepping in between them and Futaba. "This isn't cool! This isn't cool, okay?"

And now Kira and Keita turned their ire towards their wayward friend.

"What?" Keita snickered. "You like little girls now?"

"That is SO gay!" Kira giggled.

"Come on, Kira-kun," Keita said. "Let's ditch the lolicon and check out Shizuma-san some more."

"Hahahah, gaylord!" Kira called back at Suguru while they walked out.

Suguru said and turned back to Futaba who was sobbing on the lawn. "Hey," he asked. "Are you okay?"

"Leave me alone!" Futaba sniffed. "I only wanted to make Shizuma nee-sama happy."

"Hey," he said, sifting through the crushed flowers. "Some of these are still okay. We could still gather up a few of them and look for new ones. I'll help you look, okay?"

"R-really?" Futaba started drying her tears.

And from a distance, Kaname watched from the shadows. '_Well_', Kaname thought. 'It _seems one of those twerps has a good heart after all'_. A plan already started to formulate in her mind, a plan in which a boy with a good heart would be an essential tool. But it was too early to tell if Suguru would be that tool. She would need more research.

* * *

Just as Shizuma was about to step inside the Ryokan to fetch a cooler filled with chilled soda's, she noticed Futaba and Suguru walking towards her. Oddly enough, Futaba was holding Suguru by the hand and was practically dragging him along.

"Shizuma nee-sama! Shizuma nee-sama!" Futaba called over.

Shizuma smiled and knelt to one knee. "Hello there, Futaba-chan. Are those flowers for me?"

"Yeah!" Futaba raved. "Suguru-kun helped me find them!"

"Oh?"

"Well, uh," Suguru blushed. "I, uh, happened to be in the neighborhood, so I, uh..."

"The other boys were mean to me and stepped on the flowers, but Suguru-kun told them to stop and then helped me look for more flowers for Shizuma nee-sama! Suguru-kun is really nice!"

"I, uh, I..." Suguru blushed.

Shizuma smiled warmly however, and only now did Suguru realize how close Shizuma was standing to him... and now tiny her bikini was. And when she put her hands on his bare shoulders, he was lost. Her skin was so incredibly soft, and her curves so perfect. Her belly, her breasts, her eyes, her hair, her smell... for the young boy, it was instant sensory overload. In fact, he noticed that his trunks had become quite a bit tighter. He quickly covered the front of his trunks with both hands to cover for any potential embarrassment and hoped to high heavens that Shizuma wouldn't look down.

"You should always be nice to girls," Shizuma smiled and promptly gave Suguru his reward in the form of a brief kiss on the forehead.

It was too much for Suguru. He slipped from Shizuma's grasp and fell to the floor.

"He fainted," Futaba blinked.

"Yeah, I get that reaction more often," Shizuma scratched her head. "Well, we can't leave him out here in the sun. I'll have to carry him inside."

She slung one arm over the boy's shoulder and hoisted him up to put him on the couch inside.

Elsewhere, two boys were looked upon the spectacle with open mouth.

"D-dude!" Kira blinked. "Did you see that?!"

"S-she... she kissed him. I can't believe it. Shizuma-san must be into dorks."

"Check that out!" Kira gulped while Shizuma was carrying Suguru inside. "He's... he's almost touching her _boob_!"

"No way!"

"Yes way!"

The boys looked at each other. It was time for a new strategy: being nice to girls.

"Futuba-chan!" Keita called out.

"We're sorry!" Kira added.

"Can we be nice to you?"

"Forever and ever so your Shizuma nee-sama will like us?"

"Don't give the game away, you dork!"

* * *

And so the volleyball competition was won by Momomi's team. Sumiyoshi, Renji, Juri and Momomi were walking on sunshine the entire day, while Shizuma and Nagisa were preparing the evening meal. In the meantime, Chikaru had been sitting with Shion all day. Most of the time, Shion slept and Chikaru simply held her, but she had also spent some time reading to Shion when she was awake or quietly chatting with her. Shion was doing a lot better, but there was room for improvement still.

At some point after dinner, Kaname had taken the boys along with her to an unknown destination. And now it was almost midnight and they hadn't returned yet. Chikaru had asked Momomi to give Kaname a call on her mobile, but so far she hadn't answered.

Chikaru was getting slightly worried and divided her time between keeping Shion company and sitting at the bottom of the stairs to watch the front door.

Just as Shizuma and Nagisa were about to bed, there was the sound of a key slipping into the lock of the front door.

Chikaru rose to her feet and saw the three happy boys being herded in by Kaname.

"Kaname-san?" Chikaru asked. "Where have you been?"

"Kaname-san is the coolest chick ever!" Kira raved.

"Yeah, she rocks!" Keita grinned.

"We had fun," Suguru said, more subdued.

Kaname smiled. "I am surprised you and Shion-kun have so much trouble with these fine lads. I didn't have any trouble with them at all. In fact, they were perfect children."

Chikaru frowned. "Boys? Where did you go?"

"She took us to see 'Torrid sex and smoking machine-guns!'," Kira raved. "It was so cool! They had like, this machinegun mounted on a jeep and they went like Badahbadahbadahbadah and blood and guts and arms were flying all over the place. And when he was done killing people, he had sex with this big-boobed chick on the hood of the jeep!"

Chikaru blinked. "Torrid sex and smoking machine-guns?!" she gulped. "That movie is X-rated for violence!"

"And sex too," Kaname added helpfully.

"I stand corrected," Chikaru hissed. "Boys under the age of eighteen shouldn't see it!"

Kaname rolled her eyes. "Come on, that age limit isn't law. It's just a suggestion. These lads were ready to see that movie!"

"Yeah!"

"And then Kaname-san took us to that cool Hostess bar!"

Chikaru felt the blood drain from her face. "A hostess bar... You took these kids to a hostess bar?!"

"I had my first real beer!" Keita looked dreamy. "Oh, it tasted even better than I thought."

"And then Kaname-san," Kira sighed. "Paid our hostess to flash us."

"Real naked boobs," Keita drooled. "Mere inches away from us."

Unlike the other two boys, Suguru seemed a little disturbed and withdrawn. "It, uh, I suppose it was nice," he said.

"Come on," Kaname shrugged. "I think it was time to give the boys a real taste of life. You must have noticed all the pent up sexual frustration these boys are practically radiating. I..."

"To your rooms!" Chikaru interrupted Kaname.

"But..." Keita started.

"To your rooms!" Chikaru said angrily at the boys.

The shouts had attracted Shizuma and Nagisa, who came in walking from the common room to see what was going on.

"But..."

"NOW!" Chikaru called sharply, with an intensity that startled everyone who knew the usually soft-spoken girl. Then, she turned to Kaname, who looked on as nonchalantly as ever. But when Chikaru did next, surprised everybody in the room, even Kaname herself.

Like a panther, Chikaru was upon Kaname. She grabbed the other girl by the lapels, spun her around and slammed her back against the wall.

"Now you listen to me!" Chikaru hissed, her eyes narrowed. "I am responsible for these children! For their health and their well-being. And I take this responsibility very, very seriously. And if you ever... EVER pull a stunt like this again, Kaname-san, I swear to you... I **WILL** nail you to the **WALL**!"

That said, Chikaru released Kaname and took a step back, calming down but not backing down. Kaname, in the meantime, was seething. And for a moment, it seemed as if she would attack Chikaru on the spot.

"Remember that day when I caught you bullying Kizuna-chan and Remon-chan?" Chikaru spoke calmly. "Remember the promise I made to you that day? It still stands, Kaname-san."

And for a brief moment, something flashed through Kaname's eyes. It was something nobody had seen in her eyes ever... except for Chikaru, once before, when she had made this promise to her. It was fear. Pure fear.

Just as quickly as it appeared, it was gone again. And the impossible happened: Kaname backed down. "Fine," she spat, turned around and stomped out of the common room, leaving everybody but Chikaru stunned.

Nagisa was the first to speak. "Wow," she spoke. "That was... unexpected."

"What was that all about?" Shizuma asked. "I've never seen Kaname-san back off so suddenly."

Chikaru once again was her own cheerful self. "I cannot tell you without breaking my promise. So far, Kaname-san has held up her side of the bargain, just barely, and I will not break my promise as a result. But lets just say that knowledge is power. That's something even Kaname-san respects."

"Black-mail?" Shizuma asked.

Chikaru said nothing. Instead, she smiled mysteriously. "I'll go have a little chat with the boys now."

* * *

"Dammit!" Kaname snarled as she kicked at the nightstand.

"Calm down, silly," Momomi chuckled while not even looking up from her book while she lay in the futon. "Breaking the furniture won't help you."

"I hate it," Kaname snarled as she pulled her shirt over her head and started to unhook her bra. "I hate the fact that she has power over me. That she of all people has power over me!"

"Kana," Momomi put her book away to admire the view of Kaname undressing. "That's just it, she doesn't. You already told me the secret she's holding over you. But she doesn't know that I know, so we can use that to our advantage. Let her think that she can still control you, lull her into a false sense of security."

Kaname tossed her jeans into the corner of the room. "Don't be foolish, Momo," Kaname snarled. "She's a devious one. Far more devious than we suspect, I think. Minamoto always has a plan within a plan within a plan leading into a trap! Remember the Etoile election which Lulim miraculously won?"

"Chikaru has a kind heart," Momomi said. "Which means she'll keep her word regardless of the situation."

"Yes," Kaname sighed. "But that kind heart of hers, that is the problem. That makes her even more unpredictable! Even more dangerous! I have to think... I have to think..."

Kaname stepped out of her panties, roughly pulled open the drawer and yanked out the stolen wedding ring. "What to do with you, hm? What to do with you?"

Suddenly, Kaname found a nightshift tossed over her head from the futon and felt sharp nails digging into her calf.

"Kana," Momomi purred. "I think you need to blow off some steam."

Kaname chuckled and replaced the ring. The now naked Momomi lay back on the futon, and patted the empty place next to her.

"I would at that," Kaname said. "I would at that."

And soon Momomi's heavenly kisses and subtle touch would temporarily banish all other thoughts from Kaname's mind.

* * *

One more chapter to go! Hopefully it won't take me as long as it did to complete this one.


	10. Chapter 10 : Will you?

Hello everyone,

Well, this is the ending of Summer Holiday. I've had a wonderful time writing it and thinking it up. I hope you'll enjoy.

* * *

**We're all going on a... Summer-holiday**

**Chapter 10 : Will you?**

Kaname made her way down the stairs and into the kitchen for a quick bite to eat. She found one of the plastic wrapped ready-made sandwiches Nagisa had bought at the supermarket and quickly opened it up.

Kaname had left Momomi sleeping upstairs in their room. But then again, her girlfriend was often a late sleeper when she had the opportunity. She was surprised to hear the sounds of a television from the common room. It was quite early and she hadn't expected anyone to be up and about yet. Surprised turned into bafflement when she saw Takashi and Shizuma glued to the television set while the DVD-player was apparently spinning around.

The sounds she heard from the TV were awfully familiar... in fact, she instantly recognized them.

"So, is that the Gundam you were talking about?" Shizuma asked. "Those green ones with the domed heads?"

"No, no, those are Zakus. They belong to the Principality of Zeon. The EFSF doesn't have mobile suits yet, but that is about to change."

Shizuma nodded. "Ah, so what was this about three mobile suits? There's only one Gundam, right?"

"Ah, true," Takashi said. "There's only one Gundam, but there are two more EFSF mobile suits: the Guncannon and the Guntank. It was conventional at the time for a super robot anime-show to have a sentai structure that existed of a team of three."

"Ah," Shizuma nodded. "So Amuro is the son of the Gundam's designer? But he's not a professional pilot? How can he control such a complicated machine without training?"

Takashi nodded. "Good question. Well, first of all, Amuro is... special. You'll find out later in the series, I'd be giving too much away. Let's just say he handles things very intuitively. Not to mention that the Gundam has very sophisticated self-learning computers."

Kaname blinked and stepped into view.

"Ah, Ohayo Kaname-san," Shizuma greeted.

"Hola!" Takashi added. "Comment ca va?"

Kaname looked at them in confusion. "Shizuma-sama? What are you doing?"

"I'm watching a show with Takashi-kun. Many people like it very much and some friends, including Takashi-kun himself, won't stop talking about it. So I figured I'd see what all the fuss is about," Shizuma said. "But I'm liking it so far."

"In other words," Takashi added. "I'm giving this proto-Otaku next to me some pointers. Can you believe Shiz has never seen the original Mobile Suit Gundam? And you dare to call yourself Japanese!"

Shizuma chuckled. "Hush, hush, I'm learning."

"Hm, episode one," Kaname said as she watched the screen and when she looked back at her friends, she saw Takashi smirking at her.

"Ah, so you recognize episode one from a freeze frame, hm? Admit it, Kaname-san, you're such a nerd."

"I AM NOT A..." Kaname shouted, but then caught herself. She sighed heavily. "Oh, I'm not even going to fight it anymore. Scoot over."

Kaname sat down next to Shizuma and Takashi. "So, has Amuro defeated the Zakus yet?"

"Sssh, don't give away the story," Shizuma pouted slightly.

"Sorry," Kaname shrugged.

"Don't worry," Takashi smiled. "Shiz, just prepare for 43 episodes of pure heaven."

"As long as I don't have to watch Pokemon, it's alright," Shizuma smiled. "I'm also quite proud of Kaname-san here. It takes guts to make such an admission."

Kaname looked away. "Alright, I admit it. I might have some interested that could be interpreted as being... nerdy."

"It's alright, Kaname-san," Takashi smiled. "You have just made an important first step."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, just watch the television, okay?"

Sensing the underlying threat of extreme violence hidden underneath Kaname's words, he wisely kept his mouth shut.

"Let's just finish this episode," Shizuma said. "We have to get ready for the party."

Kaname frowned. "Party?"

"Yes," Takashi said. "Today's our last day here before we return to the drudgery of college, remember? So Nagisa had this wonderful idea of having a cosplay party for the kids here. Any excuse to dress up, ne?"

Kaname sighed. "Wonderful. A party. With kids... Why wasn't I informed of this?!"

Shizuma shrugged. "We figured you'd know anyway the moment the plan was conceived, so we never bothered. You're telling us you never figured it out? We've been stocking up on snacks, soda, charcoal and costumes for days!"

Kaname sighed. "I must be slipping."

"You seem to be having a lot on your mind the past couple of days," Takashi said. "Time to let go, sister-otaku. So enjoy the Anime in front of you and don't look back."

"Amen," Kaname nodded as Amuro took down the first Zaku on the screen.

* * *

The costume party was a great success to say the least. They had the party outside in the yard and had also set up a karaoke machine which a few of the kids were making grateful use of. Several tables were filled with snacks, ranging from fresh sushi to crisps, while Takashi was running a barbecue to roast shish kebab and chicken legs.

Takashi was once again wearing his Paptimus Scirocco costume, while there were a dozen of Anime and movie characters running around, ranging from Indiana Jones to Ichigo to Sailor Moon to Konata. The three little hentai-sans were, rather appropriately dressed: Keita as Freddy. Kira as Jason. Suguru as Pin-head.

All three were following around Shizuma from a distance, as Shizuma was cosplaying as Revy from Black Lagoon, a suggestion from Chikaru for Shizuma to play a character that was so unlike herself. Shizuma looked the part: though her hair was a bit too long and the wrong color, the costume made up for it. It consisted as a set of high combat boots, a tiny tank top showing off her belly and midriff and a set of very short cut-off Jeans showing off her endlessly long legs. She even had Chikaru apply Revy's elaborate tattoo on her arm and shoulder with ink, while two realistic toy guns finished the deal. Needless to say, the three boys were following her around as if she'd put a magnet in the back of her jeans.

Nagisa was keeping track of the children until Chikaru'd arrive. Nagisa looked cute as a button with her pink plush neko mimi with matching tail, and with her brightly colored pretty cat-girl dress. But she frowned when Kaname entered the yard wearing just her regular clothes.

Nagisa shook her head and decided to confront her. "This is a costume party, Kaname-san. Why aren't you in costume?" Nagisa asked.

"I am in costume," Kaname stressed. "See? I'm dressed up as 'Kenjou Kaname'. I'm a dead wringer for her."

Nagisa sighed. "Your costume is so life-like, Kaname-san. Did you make it yourself or did you rent it from a shop?"

Kaname chuckled. "Don't try to do sarcasm, Nagisa-san. You're not very good at it. Hm, what are you supposed to be, then? A Hentai-furry's Wet Dream Come True?"

"Eeeeh?!" Nagisa blushed. As if on cue, Momomi entered next. Nagisa frowned yet again when she saw that, she too, was wearing her regular clothes. "And where is your costume, Momomi-san?"

"I am wearing my costume," she said, pointing at her hat. "See? I am 'Momomi with hat'."

Nagisa pouted. "Spoilsports," she muttered under her breath and walked back to the food table. Though she was keeping an eye on all kids, she was looking around for one kid in particular. One kid who always seemed to be close to Shizuma.

Nagisa's attention drifted often to Shizuma, however. Like the boys, Nagisa found Shizuma's costume to be very sexy... to the point of nosebleed. And from some of the smirks Shizuma gave her ever so often, the feeling was mutual. Nagisa was certain that their costumes would find use in the bedroom later tonight.

Unfortunately, Nagisa was distracted by ecchi thoughts too much to notice that little Futuba, conveniently dressed in a bright yellow Pikachu costume, approached Shizuma as she was sitting down on one of the benches. By the time Nagisa noticed, it was too late to chase her away.

"Shizuma nee-sama? Can I sit with you?" Little Futaba asked with those big moe eyes of her.

"Sure, Futaba-chan," Shizuma smiled and took the child to sit on her lap. Of course, the little child shot a smug look across the room as she nestled neatly against Shizuma's bare midriff and pressed the side of her head against Shizuma's chest.

"Eeeeh?!" Nagisa almost felt steam shoot from her ears. "Futaba-san... you little harlot! Hussy! Homewrecker! I will not forgive you!"

As Momomi watched Nagisa explode, she sidled off to the perch from which the three boys were observing Shizuma. It was obvious that all three boys were happily wishing they could be Futaba for a moment and, like her, stick their head right between Shizuma's gorgeous breasts.

"Excuse me," Momomi asked. "Suguru-kun, could you fetch me a glass of water, please?"

The boy seemed a little disappointed, torn in between a desire for helping one sexy woman and the desire to watch another sexy woman's boobs. "Uh, do I have to?"

"Well," Momomi thought for a moment. "Let's just put it this way. If you won't fetch me a glass of water from the kitchen, I will tell Kana that you peeked up my skirt. Do you have any idea what she will do to you? Hm?"

Suguru gulped, being faced with the prospect of being violently castrated with a blunt butterknife. He nodded and quickly made off while the other two boys laughed.

"Sucks to be you, dude!" Kira called after him.

"Soft... perfectly round... just a hit of nipple through the fabric... perfect abs... long, long, long legs..." Keita drooled. "If I'd only have the chance, I'd pleasure her all night till the morning comes."

Momomi snickered. "Keita-san... Forget it. Shizuma-sama isn't going to give up on women in exchange for the five seconds of bumbling sex you're offering her."

"Don't ruin my dreams, Momomi-san," Keita pouted heavily. "Oh, Shizuma-san... if only you would give me a chance to prove myself."

"Yeah," Kira sighed heavily. "Me too..."

"At least we have her underwear," Keita said as he quietly produced the red boxes they had pilfered about two weeks ago.

"Sugoi desu," Kira still swooned. "Imagine it, silky soft and wrapped so tightly around Shizuma-san's sweet womanly buns."

"Quiet, or Shizuma-san might see that we have her..."

"OY!" sounded from the barbecue. From Takashi. "So that's where my favorite red boxers went! What have you little thieves been doing with it?"

Keita blinked. And so did Kira. They watched Takashi, then the boxers, then Takashi, and then the boxers again. In the end, both boys were looking a little pale.

"So... it wasn't around Shizuma-san's sweet womanly buns," Kira gulped. "But around Takashi-kun's..."

"And, and, and," Keita shuddered. "On the other side wasn't Shizuma-san's... but instead it had Takashi-san's..."

The boys yelled at each others. "BATH! BATH! SCRUB! SHOWER!" they shouted and ran inside like headless chickens, leaving the red boxers behind.

As Takashi collected his previously missing briefs, Momomi frowned. "Takashi-kun," she asked. "What was that all about?"

"I don't know," Takashi scratched his head. "They stole my underwear and ran off shouting something about taking a bath together."

"Aaah," Momomi smirked. "I knew it! All their ecchi behaviour towards girls was nothing more than pure denial. Poor boys, they should just admit their love for each other and be done with."

Takashi shrugged. "Whatever makes them happy. At least I have my underwear back."

* * *

Suguru ran all the way to the kitchen, fetched a glass and held it under the faucet. When he looked down into the sink, he noticed a small glint underneath the rubber mat in the bottom of the sink. Curious as he was, he took a look and fished out a rather expensive looking ring.

He put down the glass on the counter and sat down for a moment to study it. The young boy was from a poor family, and it was obvious to him that the ring was worth a lot of money. Money which could be of good use for him and his dad. Gold, diamonds, plated silver... it was a gorgeous ring. And old ring too.

He noticed some Kanji engraved in the inside of the ring. They read : 'Shion and Chikaru. Together forever'. Immediately, things started to fall into place. And he understood why Shion had become so angry: this was to be an engagement ring.

After thoughts of selling it, he now thought it would be for the best to toss it down the trash compactor and never think about it again. If Shion-sensei found this ring in his hands, she'd skin him alive. Better to get rid of the evidence.

And he almost did. Almost.

Chikaru-sensei's gentle smile floated into his mind. He, and the other boys, had quickly figured out that Chikaru-sensei and Shion-sensei were lesbians and in love with each other, which led to a wide array of 'observation tactics'. But he was the only boy of the three who saw how genuine this love was. And... it just didn't feel right to deny Chikaru-sensei the chance of marrying the person she loved.

He also wondered briefly how someone as uptight as Shion-sensei could possibly lose an item so precious to her in the kitchen sink. But as he couldn't think of an answer, he decided to let it slide.

He pocketed the ring and quickly brought Momomi her glass of water before she'd get suspicious and then he returned to the entrance and stood in front of the stairs leading to the first floor. He took the ring from his pocket and watched it for a while, still trying to decide what to do. Sure, he thought that Chikaru-sensei deserved love, but he also thought that he didn't deserve to have Shion-sensei break every bone in his body.

With heavy heart, he set foot on the first step of the stairs.

As he slowly made his way up, Kaname watched from the shadows with satisfaction. It had been easy to set this all up and to use Momomi to send the right boy into the kitchen. A perceptive, kind-hearted boy like Suguru was perfect for her plan.

* * *

Suguru snuck upstairs to the room in which his teachers were staying. He slowly crept through the shadows, a move he had often made on the boys' never ending quest to peep on girls who were in various states of undress. The door was open and Suguru peeked inside. He saw Shion laying on the bed inside the darkened room. The fan above the bed was keeping her cool.

Chikaru, dressed up in a Sherlock Holmes cosplay costume, bent over her love and briefly ran her fingers through Shion's blonde hair.

"Don't worry, Shion-koi," Chikaru whispered gently as she kissed Shion on the cheek. "If you need me, just call. You need rest, my love."

"I'll be fine, Sweetness," Shion replied weakly. "Go. Enjoy the party. For the children."

Chikaru nodded. "Remember. If you need anything..."

"I'll call," Shion and Chikaru shared a brief kiss.

Suguru gasped as Chikaru started moving towards the door. He silently dove in the shadows and let her pass. Chikaru left the room and Suguru held his breath to avoid being found out. When Chikaru rounded about the corner in the hallway and didn't come back, he knew he was safe.

"Sam Fisher," Suguru whispered to himself. "Superspy!" He entered the darkened room and saw Shion lying on her side.

"Shion-sensei?" he whispered gently.

"Hm?" Shion responded and rolled to face Suguru. There was a flash of recognition, but she remained calm. "Oh, it's you. Come to gloat? Come to see your sensei in tatters? Well, here I am. Do you like what you see?"

"Uh?" Suguru replied as he approached the bed. "No, no."

Suguru took a few deep breaths, because he knew how violent Shion could react. "I came to return something that belongs to you."

He wished the wedding ring out of his pocket and slowly held it out to Shion. He closed his eyes in preparation of the expected outburst, but it never came. When he opened his eyes, he saw his tough-as-nails sensei tearing up and clutching the ring to her chest.

"Y-yokatta," Shion sobbed. "Yokatta..."

Suguru didn't quite know how to react to this, so he merely stood there flabbergasted as he let his sensei cry in peace for a while. Eventually, she calmed somewhat and slipped the ring on her own finger, determined not to lose it again. "Did you take it?" Shion asked softly.

"N-no, I didn't!" Suguru said quickly. "I swear, I didn't take it. I found it in the kitchen when I was getting a glass of water."

Shion studied the boy for a while, but smiled slightly. "I believe you," Shion whispered, much to Suguru's relief. Shion sat up in bed and studied the ring. "You know, this ring was given to me by my grandmother when I was a little girl. She told me I should one day give it to the person I love the most."

"Chikaru-sensei?" Suguru asked.

"Yes," Shion smiled. "When I lost the ring, I... felt I lost both the chance to ask Chikaru to share my life as well as grandmother's gift. Why did you bring it back?"

Suguru lowered his head. "Well, you know, I, uh... I just... Chikaru-sensei has always been good and kind to us and you... you've kept us out of trouble. Keeping the ring from the two of you, well... it'd just be wrong."

Shion smiled and reached out to ruffle Suguru's hair. "You're a good kid, Suguru-kun," she smiled. "Why do you keep hanging out with those two other losers?"

Suguru smiled softly. "Someone has to keep them out of trouble. I usually talk them out of doing the worst sort of things. And, well, uh," Suguru blushed and laughed uneasily. "I'm a healthy boy, so I really like looking at naked girls too. And Keita usually knows the best spots."

Shion chuckled slightly. "Just between you and me," Shion smirked. "I'm a healthy lesbian, so I did plenty of peeping into the girls' locker rooms when I was your age. I'll keep your secret if you keep mine."

Suguru and Shion both laughed for a moment, before the mood turned serious again.

"You know, some people are beyond saving."

"I know," Suguru said. "And Keita and Kira have been getting meaner the past couple of years, but... where I come from, you don't give up on your friends."

Shion studied him for a moment, then smiled. "Heh, you're a kinder person than I am."

"Uhm, Shion-sensei?" Suguru felt he had one more admission to make. "I... I almost didn't give you back your ring."

"Uhm?" Shion asked, intrigued. "Why not?"

"I was thinking about... pawning it all the way from the kitchen to your room," Suguru said. "Ever since mom left us, it's been very hard on us. Dad's brilliant. He really is. He's a brilliant systems engineer, a regular computer whisperer. He could be the head of an IC department at a major corporation like Toyota or Hanazono Industries or something like that. But he lost his job when the company he worked for went bankrupt and he's... He doesn't have the Talk, you see? He botches every job application because he's so nervous and twittery and it's not fair because he tries hard. Dad usually makes end meet by hiring himself out to people who are having problems with their computers at home, but... we don't have much."

"I see," Shion said.

"The money we'd get from pawning that ring would settle our debts completely and leave us with a nice little nest egg. But..."

"It'd be wrong?" Shion smiled.

"Yeah," Suguru nodded. "It'd be wrong."

Shion thought for a moment. "Suguru-kun, could you please write your dad's name and phone number on a piece of paper. I'm not making any promises, but the headhunters for Toumori Electronics are always looking for skilled personnel. And if he's as good as you say he is, he'll no doubt be given a good job. Our people select on skills alone, not the ability to Talk oneself into a job."

"Y-you mean it?!" Suguru's face lit up like a radiant sun and he immediately started looking for a piece of paper.

"I mean it," Shion smiled. "I'll make a call later today."

"Thank you so very much," the happy Suguru bowed as deeply as he could.

Shion acknowledged the bow. But then frowned. "What the hell are you supposed to be anyway?"

Suguru blinked. "Oh, I'm Pinhead. He's an icon in western horror movies. I described the character for her, and then Chikaru-sensei helped me make a costume."

"Why am I not surprised?" Shion seemed to swoon a little.

"Uh-huh," Suguru said. "Chikaru-sensei took some sort of mesh and made it to fit my face. And then she snipped a couple of nails in two and weaved them into the mesh and then she colored it and covered the edges of the mesh up with make-up. See? It looks very real."

Through the closed windows came the muffled sounds of kids giggling downstairs. Shion sat up and glanced at the windows, still closed with thick drapes. "Sounds like they're having a lot of fun down there."

"The party. You should be there."

"I feel much better," Shion said. "But, no... I don't think my place is down there."

"Are you kidding?" Suguru said. "Shion-sensei, tomorrow everyone will be going home. You should allow everyone to thank you and say goodbye to you."

"I don't have a costume..."

"Ah, but Takashi-san is an otaku. I'm certain he must have cosplay stuff lying around."

"I don't know..."

"Onegai?"

* * *

"Don't you realize, Shizuma? She's evil! She only wants you for your body!" Nagisa stated resolutely while Shizuma held little Futuba in her arms. All around them, kids hurled themselves on top of the snack table or were busy playing tag with Chikaru and Momomi. "She's bad to the bone! She wants to destroy our marriage!"

"Nagisa," Shizuma sighed. "She's only six years old..."

"Six years is old enough to brood on plots, Shizuma!"

"Shizuma nee-sama?" Futuba, who had been in Shizuma's arms during the conversation, whispered softly. "Tomorrow I'll leave, but can I write to you when I learn how? And can I visit you?"

"EEEHHH?! ABSOLUTELY NOT!" Nagisa shouted.

"Shizuma nee-sama," Futaba pouted. "Nagisa nee-chan is being mean to me."

"Don't call me 'chan', you little homewrecker!" Nagisa narrowed her eyes. "That's Nagisa-sama to you!"

"Nagisa, stop it, you're scaring her," Shizuma frowned. "I gotta say, sweetheart, you've been acting rather irrational lately."

Nagisa pouted. "How can you expect me to keep quiet when this little oni is weasling her way into your heart?"

Shizuma nodded. "Alright, perhaps it's for the best if you and Futaba-chan don't mingle for the rest of the day. I'll go take her to the barbecue, alright?"

Nagisa sighed. "Okay," she said with a tiny voice. She watched her wife walk off with Futaba in her hands. And when Shizuma wasn't looking, Futaba popped her head over Shizuma's shoulder and made funny faces at Nagisa, followed up with a rather obscene gesture.

"EEEHHH?! THAT LITTLE..." Nagisa kicked a bench in frustration and promptly ended up hopping on one leg.

All voices hushed, except Nagisa who was holding her wounded foot. When Nagisa looked over her shoulder, she saw Suguru leading a somewhat reluctant Shion into view. Shion was wearing a red sleeveless shirt which barely contained her bosom, matched with red pants. She also was wearing a pair of oversized eighties sunglasses.

"Ah, sugoi!" Takashi applauded. "You look a better in my Quattro costume than I do, Shion-san."

Shion seemed a bit unsure, but as the kids started greeting her, she felt more than fine.

"Shion-koi," Chikaru whispered as she walked up to her girlfriend. "I'm glad to see you're up again. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Better than I have been in days, sweetness," Shion said as she moved to embrace Chikaru. "Thank you for taking care of me."

As the kids started cheering and two of the boys started drooling, Takashi rubbed his chin. "Hm, a female Sherlock Holmes hugging a female Char Aznable with a touch of ecchi eroge... Otaku brain overload here."

"I just think it's cute, Takashi-kun," Nagisa smiled.

"Oh, it is, Nagisa-chan," he smiled. "This is just... so very moe."

_"FUCK EM ALL!" shouted Shizuma Rambo as she raised her M60 and fired wildly around her while standing in the middle of the enemy camp. The silver-haired beauty, wearing camo-pants, a skimpy tank-top and a red bandana. Though she wasn't even aiming properly, all around her Vietcong soldiers fell like flies as they were mercilessly shredded to pieces by a hail of bullets._

_Shizuma just kept firing and firing and firing. And soldiers kept dying and dying and dying. This was doubly amazing, because Shizuma neither aimed nor ever reloaded her weapon._

_"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" she shouted in utter agressiveness as her lovely body was covered in grime and sweat, causing her tanktop to cling to her skin._

_With one hand, and while never stopping firing her M60 she grabbed a grenade, pulled the pin out with her teeth and threw it right into the ammo-dump, causing an explosion which wiped out half the camp. Soldiers on fire ran for the river and dove right into the water. But Shizuma was already standing at the edge of the river, mercilessly firing bullets into the brains of the hapless soldiers, turning them into crocodile chow._

_When her M60 finally ran out of bullets, she dove right into the river to sneak into the other end of the camp, where the guard standing in front of the prison had miraculously never noticed the bullets firing, the explosions or the screams of the dead and dying. As the guard turned his back to the river, a ghost loomed up from the water. Shizuma, her hair dripping with muddy water, her skin even more grimy, and her clothes wet, sneak up to the guard from behind with a huge silver combat knife clenched between her teeth._

_With one move, she wrapped an arm around the guard's neck and slashed the knife across his belly, spilling forth guts and blood while he fell to the ground. Another guard armed with an AK-47 came running out of the prison, but Shizuma grabbed his head and snapped his neck before he could do anything else._

_And once inside the prison, Shizuma found what she had been looking for: her beloved wife Nagisa, taken from her in the middle of the night and shackled to the ground in this filthy wooden prison building._

_"Shizuma!" Nagisa cried before her wife embraced her tightly and treated her to a deep soul-searching kiss._

_"Baby," Shizuma whispered. "It's gonna be okay. You're going to be fine."_

_"No... She's here! Take care of her! Finish her!"_

_Shizuma stood in front of Nagisa to protect her and drew her knife. On the other side of the building sat an unknown figure in a chair behind a desk. The chair slowly started to swivel around revealing... little Futaba sitting in the chair looking evil while stroking a white cat for effect._

_"Curses," Futaba narrowed her eyes. "You are mine, Shizuma Rambo nee-sama! By kidnapping your wife, you were suppose to fall for my charms and become mine!"_

_Shizuma narrowed her eyes. "You never had a chance, Futaba. For the love and I and Nagisa share is the purest among the pure. And of a depth that you could never understand. Besides, you're only six years old and I'm not planning on being celibate till you turn 16."_

_"Get her, Shizuma!"_

_"Time for a punishment."_

_Futaba yelped when Shizuma picked her up, sat down the chair and folded her over her lap. "Bad girl!" Shizuma yelled when she smacked Futaba on the bottom._

_"IYYAAAA!"_

_"Bad girl!"_

Nagisa stirred in her sleep, enjoying her lovely dream. Perfect. Hmm... but not entirely. Wasn't Rambo usually wearing nothing on his chest in those old eighties movies? That would mean... Hmmm, yes, when Nagisa imagined the scenario of her dream with Shizuma Rambo being topless, everything seemed much better.

The familiar feel and smell of Shizuma was so near her and clutched onto her beloved wife, who appeared to be sitting up. She kept her eyes closed as a brush of lips developed into a loving kiss. A kiss that keep deepening. However, when Nagisa lovingly started cupping one of Shizuma's breasts, she noticed something was wrong.

"Uh, Nagisa?" Shizuma asked while she stiffened slightly.

When Nagisa opened her eyes, she was acutely aware that all her friends were staring at her as they sat cross legged around a low table in the common room. "Oh..." Nagisa whispered as she blushed three shades of red and quickly withdrew her hand from a rather amused Shizuma's breast. "We were playing Dungeons and Dragons. I remember now."

Kaname snickered while Shion and Takashi blushed slightly. Momomi and Chikaru smiled. And little Futaba, who had begged to stay up to spend as much time with her Shizuma nee-sama before she had to go home, was still sleeping peacefully with her head propped up on Shizuma's left leg.

"Rrriiighttt," Takashi scraped his throat. "So, moving on."

"Alright!" Chikaru shouted as she threw the pencil on her character sheet. "I draw my sword and kill, kill, kill them all! KILLLLL!!"

Takashi blinked. "Uhm, Chikaru-san," he said. "This is the epilogue. The reward ceremony for the party at the royal castle. You've defeated the evil wizard and her demonic minions and you've saved the land from a magical plague. And now you're getting your reward. It's the end of the game."

"Oh, come on, I'm just being in character," Chikaru pouted. "Chaotic Evil, remember? That's what Blackguards do. We kill people, take their stuff and pawn it. King or no king."

Shion nodded. "I wanna do more kung fu."

Kaname grinned. "Kicking ass is plenty of fun."

"Not this game," Takashi said. "This game is over. And just in time, we might add. We go home tomorrow."

All friends shared a moment of contemplation. Despite some setbacks, it had been a wonderful time. Fortunately, they had made thousands of pictures. Pictures of the friends playing DnD, of kids running around having fun, of Shizuma trying to cook without a cookbook, of Nagisa lovingly serving the dinner she had made, of Kaname skulking around, of Momomi acting cute around Takashi, of kids and friends cosplaying. Now, only the pictures and memories would be left.

"I can honestly say," Shizuma said. "That this is the best holiday I've ever had."

"Amen," sounded Nagisa.

"This Dnd is such great fun," Momomi said. "We should get together more often to do this."

"Sure," Takashi smiled. "This is one crazy group to play with and I'd love to. Promise me, though, that if you get enough experience with DM'ing, you let me play a character sometimes, okay?"

"It's a deal," Shizuma smiled. "Next Saturday evening at my apartment, okay?"

"Deal!" Chikaru smiled.

"Done!" Shion nodded.

"I suppose..." Kaname rolled her eyes.

Chikaru smiled as she looked out of the window. "Look," Chikaru whispered as the full moon shone brightly onto the sea beyond. "Such an amazing view. I'm going outside for a bit. Anyone coming?"

"Maybe a little later," said Shizuma. "We have to clean up the DnD stuff."

"Oh, I should help."

"It's okay," Takashi said. "We can manage. You got outside to enjoy the fun. We'll join you a little later."

Shion watched Chikaru as she stood at the edge of the yard to watch the ocean beyond the small stretch of forest. She took a few deep breaths. And a few more deep breaths. As she started to look a little pale, Shizuma put her hand on her shoulder and squeezed slightly.

"I know you're scared," Shizuma said. "But that's Chikaru-chan out there. And she loves you. Believe in that."

"Shion-san," Nagisa pressed. "It's never gonna get any more romantic than this."

"Go for it, Shion-kun," Kaname gave her a thumbs up.

"Do it now, or you'll always regret it," Momomi smiled softly.

Shion nodded. "Thank you. All of you," she said and slowly stepped outside.

The five remaining friends exchanged looks and quickly dove for the window. As to not possibly disturb Shion's proposal, they tried to hide behind a small wooden bench in front of the window. After some pushing and pulling, five heads popped up above the bench and they got an excellent view of Shion and Chikaru.

"What are they doing? What are they doing?"

"Ssshhh... Quiet!"

"Don't push me!"

"Ssshhh!"

Outside, Shion wrapped an arm around Chikaru's shoulder and they watched the moon together for a while.

"What's happening?"

"They're chatting."

"No, no, I think Shion-san's getting ready to propose. Look how tense she is."

"Chikaru-chan's wondering what's going on. Look, she's concerned."

Shion continued whispering and produced a small box from her pocket. Chikaru stiffened visibly as Shion continued her speech. After a while, her eyes turned slightly watery... and then the first sobs came.

"Oh, wow. Did she say no?"

"Ssssh, don't jinx it!"

"Sorry!"

"This is bullshit. Just grab her and drag her to a room!"

"Hush, Kana! This is no time for your bravado!"

Outside, Chikaru burst into tears and embraced Shion with all her might. Shion squeezed her eyes shut and embraced Chikaru as well.

"That's beautiful," Takashi said.

"We still don't know if she said yes or no," Momomi bit her lip.

The answer came when Shion and Chikaru broke the embrace for a moment. Shion took the ring from the box, took her beloved's hand and gently slid the ring on Chikaru's finger. Shion brought Chikaru's hand to her lips and lovingly kissed it.

All five friends were silent for a moment. Nothing could be heard except the chirping songs of the cicadas outside.

"Chikaru-san said yes," Momomi closed her eyes. "So romantic."

Kaname shook her head, but couldn't hide a hint of a smile.

"Oh my god," Nagisa said, tearing up. "They're getting married."

Shizuma pulled Nagisa towards her and held her tightly. "Yes, they are."

Shizuma smiled warmly. She had known this day would one day come. She'd known both Shion and Chikaru since they were wide-eyed first years at Astraea Hill and she'd known from day one that these two were made for each other. Shion and Chikaru would have to face many hurdles... society still frowned on two women or two men in love, no doubt there would be elements without both their families that wouldn't be as tolerant as they would hope for. But their love would survive it and endure. She knew that for certain.

Shizuma smiled to Nagisa, and felt such a strong sense of love for the girl in her arms. She gently caressed her lover's cheek before pressing her lips on Nagisa's.

Kaname, in the meantime, smiled briefly and kissed Momomi on the top of her head.

"Hm," Kaname told her Momomi. "You must have had a fly in your eye, Momo," she smirked.

"Yes, Kana," Momomi said as she wiped a tear away. "A fly... just a fly," she said, while sniffling.

"Nice," Takashi smiled. "There are never enough lesbians in the world."

Shizuma and Nagisa smiled to each other, fond memories of their own wedding returning in droves. "I love you," Nagisa whispered and leaned in for a kiss.

"I love you too," Shizuma replied just before the two lovers kissed. The kiss inside mirrored the one outside. Like Chikaru and Shion, the two lovers didn't have a care in the world. And even though they would return to normal life tomorrow, their world had been forever changed.

But they would always have the memories.

* * *

Well, that ends Summer Holiday. It's been a wild ride and I thank you all for sticking with me for so long. But this isn't the end of my Stopani stories. I still have Opposites to continue and I have another Yaya and Tsubomi story in the works. Of course, there will also be a follow-up to Summer Holiday in which Nagisa and Shizuma attempt to enter the job market. What can I say? The stopani characters are simply too much fun and kawaii to stop writing about them. :)


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